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Religious Studies

Oxy OneSearch

Oxy's library catalog is called OneSearch. OneSearch searches not only the books that we have in the library, but also searches more generally. Depending on the filters you use, OneSearch will also show you articles from databases that Oxy subscribes to and to books that we don't own. Make sure you are logged into your library account to get the most out of OneSearch.  If you need more help with OneSearch, then take a look at the OneSearch Guide or ask a librarian! 

Search with Subject Headings

Keyword searches often retrieve too many results, including materials that are irrelevant to your topic. Meanwhile, Title searches can be too narrow and leave you with no results. The answer is an approach that figures somewhere in the middle: Subject Headings. Subject headings are terms (topics, proper names, geographic regions, etc.) that indicate the scope of a book or other resource.

Try it yourself: you can copy and paste these example headings right into a catalog search for LC Subjects.

Church history 19th century
Hindu Symbolism
Judiasm 20th century
Pentecostalism
Religious Poetry History and Criticism
Mysticism Comparative Studies

Wander the Bookshelves

The Occidental College Library uses the Library of Congress (LC) classification system to organize physical books by call numbers in the library book tiers. The tiers are found by turning left when you enter the main floor of the library or asking the information desk for help!

Call numbers that include materials relevant to religion and religious studies include the following:

BL 1-2790 Religions. Mythology. Rationalism 1st floor, Old Wing
BM 1-990 Judaism 1st floor, Old Wing
BP 1-610 Islam. Bahai Faith. Theosophy, etc.   1st floor, Old Wing
BQ 1-9800 Buddhism 1st floor, Old Wing
BR 1-1725 Christianity 1st floor, Old Wing
BS 701-1830 The Bible, Old Testament 1st floor, Old Wing
BX 2400-4563    Catholic Church, Monasticism 1st floor, Old Wing

Accessing Material We Don't Own

Many of the books, journal articles and other resources you find can be accessed through Oxy. However, if not, you will need to request them through Interlibrary Loan. If you are logged into your Oxy account, most interlibrary loans can be made via a link associated with the article/book.