The main content of
the database has been thoroughly indexed by a team of librarians using
controlled vocabulary with indexing terms similar to those used by the Library
of Congress in its catalog. (For more information on the index and indexing
process, see The Subject Index.) Every article, primary document, image, and
web link has been indexed and tagged according to this defined vocabulary. The
site contains three types of browsing that provide access to the indexing, each
tailored to a different type of user and research need:
Subject Browse: A condensed Subject Browse appears on the left side of the
Home Page. This first-level browse features a selected list of the broadest and
most popular subjects covered in the database, such as Immigration, History,
and Literature. All of the items on the list are expandable with subcategories
appearing with a mouseover.
Browse: A more detailed Browse, ideal for most LAE users, is also
available by clicking the BROWSE button at the top right of every page on the
site. This takes the user to a three-column Browse screen (see below), which
makes browsing through the various levels of the index easy and is ideal for
students narrowing an over-broad research topic.
Instructions: In the first (left) column, a simple list of
broad subject categories appears. Click on any of the broad categories to
reveal the second-level subcategories. A click on any of these subcategories
will call up all related indexing terms from the index in the second (center)
column. Note that many of these terms are in turn expandable and that you may
need to click on the plus sign next to them, or in some cases, click the
previous/next button that appears above the column to page through to all the
subcategories. Once you’ve clicked on any of these subcategory terms a list of
content indexed to that term will appear in the third (right) column. Articles
appear first, followed by Primary Documents, Images, and Web Links. Clicking on
any of these results will take you directly to that piece of content.
A Note on Names and Browse Results
If you are having difficulty finding Results for an
individual name in the Browse, consider looking under both the first and last
name. For example, an article about Isabel Allende from The Encyclopedia of
Literature and Politics (3 Volumes, 2005) is titled using the Library of
Congress designation of "Allende, Isabel" (which is how she is indexed in the
Browse), while another article from the Greenwood reference work, Latina and
Latino Voices in Literature (2003) is titled "Isabel Allende," so be sure
to look closely and thoroughly at your Browse results.
Index: For more experienced researchers and librarians, the Index
provides direct access to LAE’s full index. (For more information about the Index
that powers this Browse function, click here.) Though it has a similar
interface to the Browse, the Index contains only two columns. The first column
contains every indexing term in the database, without the top-level subject
filter used in the Browse. Therefore, the Index allows you to go directly to
lesser-used, very specific entries such as Ernesto Duerte (1 instance), Latina magazine (1
instance), or Land Act of 1851 (2 instances). This tool is ideal for
researchers who have an exact, ongoing research goal in mind.
Instructions: Page through the list of subject subcategories
in the first column by using the "Previous" and "Next" buttons, or use the
"Jump to" box at the top of the column. Simply type in a term – or just a few
letters of a term – and click "Go" to jump to that section of the index. For
example, if you’d like to see if there are terms in the Index under
"Agriculture," type "agri" in the Jump to box, click "Go," and
you will jump to the first subcategory in the index beginning with the letters "agri." Click on any indexing term in the first column and a list of content tagged
with that term will appear in the second column. (Note that many of the
indexing terms are expandable.) Articles are listed first, followed by Primary
Documents, Images, and Web Links.
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Image Index: This feature can be found on the Home Page, the Additional Resources section, and as a link on the Index page. This index allows users to navigate through thousands of photographs, illustrations, maps, and other images by using the site’s indexing terms.
Instructions: Click on any of the Sub-Categories and corresponding thumbnail images that have been indexed using that term by our indexing team will appear in the right-hand “Results” column. When you spot an image that interests you, clicking on the image will take you to the content page where this image appears. In most cases the image will be accompanied by a caption and other contextual and citation information, and the user may have to scroll up or down to find the image. To navigate through the index, use the letters along the left-hand column and the “Previous” and “Next” buttons that appear at the bottom of the Sub-categories column for more results that begin with each letter. Or type your search term in the “Jump-to” box and click “Go”; if there is an image that matches your search term, the screen with “jump” to the appropriate indexing term and corresponding image.
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Primary Source Index: This feature can be found on the Home Page, the Additional Resources section, and as a link on the Index page. This index allows users to navigate through thousands of quotations, speeches, court ruling, treaties, and other primary sources by using the site’s indexing terms.
Instructions: Click on any of the Sub-Categories and corresponding content containing primary sources will appear in the right-hand “Results” column. When you spot a primary source that interests you, clicking on it will take you to the full-text content page where this primary source material appears. In some cases, the Primary Source will be a single document that appears with little or no introductory content. However, in most cases, the primary source material will appear as part of an essay or article with contextualizing information, and often, other primary source materials preceding or following it. The user may have to scroll up or down to find the Primary Source they wish to use in their research.
To navigate through the index, use the letters along the left-hand column and the “Previous” and “Next” buttons that appear at the bottom of the Sub-categories column for more results that begin with each letter. Or type your search term in the “Jump-to” box and click “Go”; if there is an image that matches your search term, the screen with “jump” to the appropriate indexing term and corresponding primary source.