New York: People, Places and Things

The hardest part of searching for information can be choosing the words that get you exactly the results you want.
Try some of these ideas when searching OneSearch , choosing "physical materials" to find books and DVDs available at FIT

•   Start with a word or phrase that describes your topic (e.g. Brooklyn Bridge; Bloomingdales) and search in "Basic Search: All Fields"
•   Click on the title of any item that looks relevant, scroll down to the part of the page called "subject".
•   See if there are other words that describe your topic (e.g. if you tried 'Grand Central Station', note that 'Grand Central Terminal' is the subject heading listed) and search again using the alternative words.
•    Search broader terms as necessary (e.g. bridges New York; stores New York; shopping New York).
•   Often you will need to try more than one subject heading or different ways of phrasing the same topic (e.g. apartment houses, architecture, historic buildings)

You can try a similar strategy when searching for articles. It will probably be easier to find articles even if you don't use the exact precise "subject heading" that you might have to use to find a book. But it's always a good idea to come look for -- or come up with -- other words to describe any topic.

Ask the Library if you’re having trouble with the wording. 

To get some basic background on your topic, you may want to start with a book or e-book.

Articles from magazines and newspapers are usually more current than what you would find in a book and may be more specific to your topic.

Websites can be very hit-or-miss; use our suggestions to find good websites for your research.

More "Start here" suggestions

Start local! Don't forget about these other FIT Library research guides.