Searching for Books (Only) in Anthropology

Richard W. Franke

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The Harvard University library offers a free and useful subject search in all topics, including anthropology. The Harvard computer will email back the results of your search which you can print out or send further by email. Here is how you do it:

1. Open your browser (get onto the web).

2. Type the address: http://hollisweb.harvard.edu/

3. Follow the on-screen instructions by going to the lower left to HOLLIS Catalog the Harvard Union Catalog, probably the 3rd or 4th largest library system in the world. Hollis stands for Harvard On Line Library Information System.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions again. To search a subject, type “su.” You will see that the process is “find su [your subject]. For example, “find su matrilineal”

This will bring up a list of 88 books on matrilineal kinship (as of August 2004) mostly in English but also in French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Indonesian, Japanese and several other languages.

5. Email this bibliography to yourself: Following the instructions on the screen— click on “save/send” to store the list and then type in your email address and click “send” to send it to yourself.

6. The Harvard computer uses the “short” form as a default. Usually that is what you want too, but you can read about other forms before you hit the send button.

7. NOW, you must decide which sources you actually want—so go to Sprague Library and check them out or request them by interlibrary loan.

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