Trying some initial searches in SuperSearch can be a great way to begin to explore a topic from many angles across a variety of disciplines and types of sources. Start with a simple search and scan the results, paying attention to aspects of the topic that jump out at you or resonate with you.
Because SuperSearch contains so much content from so many different kinds of sources, the results can sometimes be overwhelming and hard to focus. At the same time, SuperSearch is also not comprehensive and can miss key sources. To search with more focus, precision, and depth, try some of the databases and other resources recommended below and on the other pages of this guide.
The databases listed here are just a selection of what is available through Wellesley. All of them have content in Spanish as well as English. See our Databases A-Z list and browse by Subject or Database Type to find other databases relevant to your research.
Literature & Film
History
Art
Religion
Gender
Multidisciplinary
Spanish-language Portals
These tips work in SuperSearch, the catalog, and most databases.
Use quotation marks " " to search words as a phrase. This will narrow your results.
"birth control"
Use AND to combine multiple concepts in your search. This will narrow your results.
"birth control" AND medieval
Use OR to find different ways your topic could be expressed. This will expand your results. Group these related terms in parentheses, so the database interprets them first. The following search will find results that have any one of the terms in the first set of parentheses along with any one of the terms in the second set.
("birth control" OR contraception) AND (medieval OR "middle ages")
Use an asterisk * to find variant endings. This will expand your results.
("birth control" OR contracept*) AND (medieval OR "middle ages")
You can use the Wellesley Library Catalog to find books, videos, and journals (not individual articles). A few tips:
gender medieval spain
leads to linked subject terms and more books related to different aspects of this topic:
Gender identity > Spain > History.
Gender identity in literature.
Women > Books and reading > Spain > History.
Molina, Tirso de, 1571?-1648. Burlador de Sevilla.
Can't find what you're looking for at Wellesley? You have the world at your fingertips through WorldCat, a catalog of libraries throughout the country and the world! WorldCat is a great place to find books that we don't have in our library, including books in Spanish and other languages. You can request them through Interlibrary Loan with the click of a button.
Use WorldCat Discovery to search and request directly from libraries worldwide via Interlibrary Loan.
Questions? Interlibrary Loan Guide