Finding relevant books on a particular anthropology topic can be challenging. Understanding how to use subject terms (also known as subject headings) will be immensely helpful when searching for books. See the image below which highlights where subject terms are listed.
1) Identify the correct name of the group or the place you are researching. 'Correct' in this instance means the term used by the Library of Congress. For example, the subject term for the !Kung is "!Kung (African people)" not Kung Bushmen, and "Navajo Indians" is the correct subject heading, not Navajos or Navajo People.
The most common subject heading subheading assigned to ethnographies is "social life and customs" but "case studies" and "ethnology" are other subheadings that may be applied. The most common subject headings for archeological study are "[Place Name] --antiquities" and "excavations (archaeology) - [place name]"
2) Once you have the correct name of the group, place or topic, search with that name and the subheading phrase. For example, search:
navajo indians social life and customs
or
Excavations (archaeology) Africa
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Adapted from Deb Brown Stewart (University of Pennsylvania) and Jenny Bowers (University of Denver)