Everything or Library Catalog

HOLLIS is the library's main search interface. You can search 'Everything' which is the library catalog and a large collection of citations for a variety of materials (HOLLIS does not contain everything Harvard owns, and Harvard doesn't own everything in HOLLIS but we can get you almost anything through services like BorrowDirect and Interlibrary Loan (ILL)), or you can search only the 'Library Catalog.'

Regardless of how you search, remember to sign-in to take full advantage of HOLLIS, especially to see borrowing links. 

  • Choose Everything if:
    • You want to explore the broadest variety of sources.
    • Your topic is very interdisciplinary or very current.
    • You already have the title of an article you want. 
  • Choose Library Catalog if:
    • You want book-length treatments of a topic.
    • You want to search Harvard's shelves.
    • You need reliable filters for authors and subjects.
  • If you specifically want to search Harvard's special collections and archives, especially for primary sources, you might want to use HOLLIS for Archival Discovery.

Keyword Searching

Skilled use of your search words will make a significant improvement in your search results. You will also need to conduct multiple searches and continually revise your search. Assess the titles, summaries/abstracts, and subject headings from search results. Adjust your search based on what you find. The Diagnose Your Search Problems tutorial provides help with adjusting searches.   

Refining Your Results

Refining your results helps narrow down the search results to what you are looking for. Use the various options on the right-side of the search results.

 

Browsing/Subject Headings

Browsing in the catalog is helpful when you're trying to discover your interest. It helps you see how writing about an author, an idea, an event, etc. has been broken down and categorized. Browsing by Subject is often most helpful.

  • How to Browse
    • Click on the STARTS WITH / BROWSE link above the search box. 
    • Change the drop-down to Browse by SUBJECT.
    • Enter a broader and major topic word to discover subject headings. 
  • Advanced Search Tip
    • It's often best to adapt the subject headings and subheadings you see in search results, or from browsing, into a new search. 
    • From Advanced Search, select "Subject" from the "Keywords anywhere" drop-down, and add different combinations of subject words or subheading words. 

Additional HOLLIS Help
https://guides.library.harvard.edu/extensionstudents/hollis
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