Search the Web
If you search for keywords in the library catalog, you won't get any results unless those exact words appear in the record for the book. If you're trying to find books that cover certain topics, have a certain art style, etc. it's best to Google around to find book lists, and then search the catalog for specific books.
For example: If you were excited to read LA+D alum Sara Alfageeh's upcoming graphic novel Squire and realized you hadn't read other stories set in the Middle East or with Muslim characters and wanted to find others, you might search:
- graphic novels set in middle east (gets you results focused on location- such as graphic novels exploring the history of the region or taking place in the region)
- graphic novels muslim characters (gets you results focused more on characters)
- Try out different search terms, because different things will float to the top of your results when you make small tweaks to your search terms
Search the Library
For information about searching the catalog, click the Searching the Catalog page in the leftthand menu. If, however, you just want information about certain comics, for example reviews, biographical information about the creators, interviews with the authors, etc then you can search the web AND the library. The library pays for a lot of stuff that isn't free on Google, so it's worth searching both places! Use the search bar below to try out some searches, for example:
- comic art styles
- history of comics
- comics AND ___________
- graphic novels AND ____________
You might see books from our catalog show up, but there are also eBooks and journal/magazine articles! Try it below!
@LL Search
Search
Perspectives & Giving Credit
Think about who you want advice/information from, and where that information lives, and finally, what can you type in to get more relevant results to what you're looking for? For example:
- If you want the perspective of literary critics, search the library databases to find published book reviews and newspaper articles written by critics, or try Googling and adding terms like book review
- If you are looking for examples of authentic representation, look for the advice of other people who identify as members of a group, for example if you were looking for stories with characters who wear a hijab, you might want to keep an eye out for hijabi giving their recommendations, like this blog so you know you're getting good recommendations, not bad/harmful/insensitive ones
Remember that some places aggregate information, for example the library has an aggregator called @LL Search, Google is an aggregator, and Amazon also aggregates a lot of different customer and critic reviews. Pay attention to the original creator of the information, and track info/reviews back to their source, so you're citing the original author of the words and not Amazon.