Latin American Library Research Basics

In this module, you will:

• reflect on major differences between Google.com and academic research databases
• learn how to build effective keyword searches in academic research databases
• deepen your understanding of how academic research databases work
• learn to use Boolean and other search operators (AND, OR, NOT, *, "", ?)
• critically reflect on the problematics of keywords used to describe materials in academic databases

This video from the University of Houston Libraries explains key differences between Google and academic research databases.

Among the points they underscore is that you can use 'natural language'' to search Google, e.g.: Who was the first Black Vice-President of Costa Rica? In other words, you can search as if you were directly asking a question. (Answer, in case you didn't know: Epsy Campbell Barr)

By contrast, research databases do not work with natural language searches, but rather, keywords searches.

Watch this video to learn more and reflect on the differences between a commercial search engine like Google and the research databases available via Tulane University Libraries.

Now that you've learned about the importance of keyword searching in academic databases, watch this video tutorial from Tulane University Libraries on how to identify keywords and phrases for your information search:

If you're researching Latin America, the Caribbean, or the Iberian Peninsula, many resources will be in languages other than English--mainly Spanish or Portuguese. So, what language should you use to search, if you are able to read languages other than English? Watch this video from The Latin American Library to find out and learn more about the workings of library catalogs and other research databases.

*Note*: this video was made using screenshots from a prior version of the Tulane University Libraries (TUL) website. The fundamentals covered still apply, but TU Library Search now has a different look and configuration.

Now that you've learned more about selecting keywords, what is the best way to combine keywords for an effective search?

Boolean and other operators are important for refining your search. Watch this overview from Beloit College Libraries to learn more.

When researching a given topic, don't forget that your subjects may have variances due to translation and transliteration from languages of Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Iberian Peninsula, and/or modernizations and adaptations of spellings. 

You can account for variations by using the Boolean and other operators you learned about above, and checking to see the standard names and terms by which resources are cataloged.

For example, say you are researching mysticism in the writings of Santa Teresa, also known as Santa Teresa de Ávila, Santa Teresa de Jesús, Saint Teresa, Teresa of Avila, etc. You can account for variations using a search like this: 

Also, once you find a record related to Santa Teresa, you will find in the Creator and/or Subject field that the standardized name used for cataloging is Teresa, of Avila, Saint, 1515-1582:

So, you could also do a Creator OR Subject search using the cataloging term:

Another issue to keep in mind is variations in indigenous language terms. For example, the K'iche' people and language were long referred to in the Latin alphabet as Quiché. The subject heading continues to be spelled Quiché, so it's important to search for both:

Similarly, texts in indigenous languages, like K'iche'', will have variant spellings:

People of Latin American, Caribbean, Spanish, and Portuguese descent in the United States are not a monolith. Therefore, no one term will ever fully capture the diversity of identities, ethnicities, nationalities, races, and experiences which are grouped under terms like "Latinx," "Latine," Latino/a," "Hispanic," and "Hispanic-American." Use of these words is contextual and situational.

The very desire for one all-encompassing term to describe this diverse mix of people comes from academic, governmental, activist, and economic impulses and strategies to identify labels for groups--despite the fact that many individuals within those groups do not use or prefer to describe themselves with those terms. 

Here are some essential keywords to keep in mind, depending on the kinds of sources you are looking for:

Language is never neutral.

Behind every database are people--all with distinct backgrounds and biases--who have to make decisions about which subject headings and keywords to use to facilitate your search. 

As highlighted above in the keyword table for Latinx Studies, Library of Congress (LC) subject headings--which many catalogers and indexers use as a standard--may not match the keywords you would intuitively generate or prefer to use for personal and political purposes. Often, LC subject headings generated decades ago no longer align with newly accepted terms. They may even be offensive and racist. Nonetheless, they are still used broadly as a reference. 

Here are a few more examples of the difference between terms you might think to use vs. LC subject headings:

The article and documentary linked below offer further context on the history and problematics of LC subject headings. The better you understand the decisions that go into organizing information in academic databases, the more effectively you will be able to search--while also maintaining awareness of the systemic forces and politics behind information economies and infrastructures.

1. Think critically about the contents, search operators, and algorithms different databases use, and adapt your search terms accordingly
2. When using a given academic database, do a test search, open a record and see what descriptive language (metadata), the catalogers and indexers use to organize information. Adjust your terms accordingly.
3. Use "" to search a complete, unbroken phrase, e.g. "Ni una más" 
4. In many databases, you can use * to stand in for the multiple possible endings of a word, e.g. femini* will search for feminism, feminist, feminismo, feminista, femininity, etc.
5. Languages: Remember that databases run out of the U.S. will have metadata in English, even if the text itself is in Spanish, Portuguese, or another language.
6. Search synonyms or similar concepts with an OR search, e.g. (race OR racism OR anti-racism); (environment OR "medio ambiente")
7. Research is iterative. You will likely need to do multiple rounds of searching and adjusting terms to get the best results.