Search Help: University of Toronto Libraries Catalogue & Databases

 Search Guide

1) Begin your search with keywords.

For example:

Print Disability 
Assistive technology AND People with Visual Disabilities 

Web Accessibility AND Visually Handicapped

2) You may need to attempt different search terms to find all the possible resources.

For example:

Print Disabled Assistive Technology
Print Disabled Users Assistive Technology
Visually Impaired Assistive Technology
Dyslexic Assistive Technology
Web Accessibility Assistive Technology
Etc.

3) The menus on the left-hand side of the library catalogue's search result interface can be used to narrow down your results. For example, it is possible to limit your results by subject, format, author, publication date and other options.

4) The advanced search option allows you to add more search fields so that you can search multiple types of keywords at once. For example, you could search “Print Disability” as a keyword and “Assistive Technology” as a subject.

5) Once you find a book or other resource that looks appropriate, you can look for similar resources using the Subject Headings listed for that item.

6) An additional keyword search technique that can be used when searching the catalogue, databases, and journals, is using an asterisk (*) to replace the ending of words to increase the results you find. Using the asterisk means that the search includes all possible endings past the point you place the asterisk.

For example:

Print disabilit* will find print disability, print disabilities.
Assistive technolog* will find assistive technology, assistive technologies.

7) If you put brackets around your keywords and connect them with AND, then the search results will only include resources that have both keywords. If you place OR between the bracketed keywords then the search will return results that include at least one of those keywords.

For example: 

(Print-disabled users OR print diabilit* OR dyslexic OR visually impaired) AND (user accessibility)
(People with print disabil* OR Print-disabled user*) AND user strateg*
(Dyslexic AND visually impaired) AND user interface*

 Call Numbers, Ranges, Subject Headings

Dewey Decimal System: 028; 362.4; 371.3; 371.9

Library of Congress: HV, LB, LC

Some Relevant UTL Subject Headings ("Subjects A-Z"):

Education

Equity Studies
Occupational Therapy
Psychology

Rehabilitation Science
Reading Disability