This guide is designed to help you do research on social, cultural, political, economic, literary, and historical topics related to Chicanas/os/xs/Mexican Americans. Want to learn more about research and online resources? Reach out to me via email/call/or make an appointment. I am on campus or on email regularly.
Books along with other resources are searchable through 
Do your first search by using the book title, author, or by keyword. Given that you will receive more than book titles (articles and other materials will be included) you may need to limit your search to BOOKS only. See the left-hand menu, under Resource Type and click on Books. Once you begin browsing OneSearch you may find that there are many resources listed on the 5th floor within the Chicano Center Collection, in the Africana, Asian American, Chicano, and Native American (AAACNA) Studies Center. These materials are available for regular check out. If you should need additional help locating materials or instruction on using the OneSearch catalog or other online databases please ask at the 4th floor or email/call/visit me. When to use the "X"? (see next section)
There are many databases and print indexes to choose from for your research. Depending on your topic and time period you may have to use an array of resources. Given that Chicano/Mexican American studies is an interdisciplinary study, there is no one source that will give you everything in one. So you will need to be creative. An often overlooked resource is the bibliography that can be found at the end of related journal articles or in books on your topic.
Click here to view some possible article databases.
When to use the "X"? Identity labels are sometimes hard to navigate around. The "X" is still new in research and unless the author uses Latinx or Chicanx in the title or abstract of the publication, you will be missing some important research. What does the "X" mean? Remember consider all possibilities. Successful research can be about what terms you use so do not stay in your contemporary language or what you think might be the correct term to use. It is ok to use the "A" and the "O" in research. Remember that the "X" includes gender and sexuality, so use the terminology that makes the "X" inclusive.
The Library Catalog uses the "Library of Congress Subject Headings" (large red books in the Reference Ready section near the Reference Desk) to catalog books. These subject headings are slow to change and sometimes removed from contemporary usage; they are, however, extremely useful in locating books and articles. Although these are subject headings using them as KEYWORDS is an excellent research method. Examples of subject headings:
Examples of some Subject Headings:
Note: that Mexican Americans/Chicanos/Latinos all fall under the boarder term of Hispanic. Do not limit your searches to just one term. This is especially true when looking at the boarder groups of Latinos like Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Salvadorans, etc.
Ethnic groups or geographical locations can be substituted for other groups or locations.
Some names and organizations can also be used in subject searches.
