Sources for Subject Terms & Keywords
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American Folklore Society Ethnographic Thesaurus (AFSET)The AFS Ethnographic Thesaurus (version 2.2) is a vocabulary that can be used to improve access to information about folklore, ethnomusicology, ethnology, and related fields. The American Folklore Society developed the Thesaurus in cooperation with the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress and supported by a generous grant from the Scholarly Communications Program of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
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Art & Architecture ThesaurusThe AAT is an evolving vocabulary, growing and changing thanks to contributions from Getty projects and other institutions. This vocabulary is useful for scholars dealing with topics relating to art and crafts.
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Cultural Objects Name Authority® Online (CONA)Please note: CONA tends to focus on specific named cultural heritage objects (a particular painting or piece of furniture, for example), but it may be worth exploring the vocabulary for ideas.
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Library of Congress AuthoritiesUsing the Library of Congress Authorities, you can browse and view authority headings for Subject, Name, Title and Name/Title combinations.
Search Tools for Primary Sources
Virginia Heritage is a database for finding aids (collection guides) at about 35 participating institutions in Virginia. ArchiveGrid is a database of finding aids and catalog records for institutions around the country, but it is voluntary and not all-encompassing. WorldCat contains records for a wide variety of materials and formats with varying degrees of information. It is primarily focused on academic and public libraries.
Other states, state/multi-state partnerships, and regional consortia may also have search tools that include both finding aids and/or digital content. So, you may need to do some digging to locate additional search tools--and you can always ask our staff for help or suggestions!
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Archival Resources of the Virginias (ARVAS)Archival Resources of the Virgnias (ARVAS) is a consolidated database of more than 22,000 finding aids which provide information about the vast array of manuscripts and archival materials housed in historical societies, libraries, museums, colleges and universities across Virginia and West Virginia. The continuous addition of new and updated finding aids makes this a great tool for discovering primary source materials documenting the history, culture, and people of Virginia and West Virginia.
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ArchiveGridArchiveGrid includes over four million records describing archival materials, bringing together information about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. With over 1,000 different archival institutions represented, ArchiveGrid helps researchers looking for primary source materials held in archives, libraries, museums and historical societies.
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WorldCatWith an index of hundreds of millions of bibliographic records which represent several billion resources in libraries worldwide, WorldCat is the world's most comprehensive database of information about library collections.
Other LibGuides from the University Libraries
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Appalachian Studies LibGuideUniversity Libraries LibGuide
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Food & Drink History Resources @Virginia Tech (and Beyond) LibGuideSpecial Collections LibGuide
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Religion and Culture LibGuideUniversity Libraries LibGuide
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Researching Blacksburg, Virginia, History LibGuideSpecial Collections LibGuide
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Special Collections and University Archives: A Basic Introduction LibGuideSpecial Collections LibGuide