Books not available through the BCC Libraries can be obtained through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) , a service free of charge to all current BCC students, faculty, and staff!
BCC Libraries shelve books according to the Library of Congress Classification System. Titles for Chemistry can be found under some of the headings listed below. The number ranges represent facets of this topic. Browsing the collections of a library can be very productive; often revealing sources as good as - if not better - than what you might find by searching the catalog! If you need help finding your way around the library 'stacks,' ask any library staff member.
QD Chemistry
Controlled vocabulary is a standardized, specifically-chosen set of words or phrases used by a database to describe and categorize books, articles or other sources of information based on its content. Controlled vocabulary can also be referred to as Subjects, Subject Headings, Subject Terms, Descriptors, or Thesaurus. The table below outlines the difference between using a Controlled Vocabulary vs. general Keywords:
Controlled Vocabulary |
Keywords |
Pre-defined, higher order terminology |
Natural (conversational) language |
Only searches the subject (or descriptor) field in a database record |
Searches all the fields in a database record including title, abstract, text, etc. |
Results usually relevant to your topic |
Results may or may not be relevant to your topic |
Narrows your search, providing fewer but more precise results |
Broadens your search, providing more - but potentially less precise - results |
Less flexible - searches only available, pre-defined subject headings |
More flexible - searches newer or distinctive terms and acronyms with no defined subject heading |
Examples |
|
Canines |
Dogs |