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Social Work: Subject Headings

This guide lists available library and online resources for social work classes.

Search Term Suggestions

USE   

  • Family social work
  • Social service
  • Social work with criminals
  • Social work with immigrants
  • Social work with minorities
  • Social work with older people
  • Social work with ...
  • Social work administration

FOR A NARROWER SEARCH TRY

  • Abused wives - Services for
  • Charities
  • Community organization
  • Interviewing in social service
  • Public welfare
  • Social advocacy
  • Social case work
  • Social service -- moral and ethical aspects

FOR A BROADER SEARCH TRY

  • Human services

OR, TRY OTHER SUBJECTS

  • Child development
  • Counseling
  • Interviewing in social service
  • Social problems
  • Social work education
  • Social workers

General Search Strategies

Searching in the OPAL catalog for your topic:  

SUBJECT AND KEYWORD searches are not the same. The catalog uses controlled vocabularies for subjects. Keywords are natural language. If you find an appropriate book using a keyword find similar books by searching the same subject headings.

A CONTROLLED VOCABULARY like Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) helps ensure the same topics are described using a formalized terminology. The terms are based on broad and narrow topics. Other controlled vocabularies include: Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), or LC subject headings for children's literature.

SEARCH TIPS  on the catalog page explain combining words for the most efficient way to find what you need. Or, look at the help link to decide how to search.

MARKING RECORDS enables you to save to a list then print or email a selected group of items.

A BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD  in the online catalog will give important information including the title, author, publisher, publication date, subject headings and the Dewey decimal call number. 

THE DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM is a classification scheme used to organize books. Other libraries may use the Library of Congress Classification System.