Skip to Main Content

Latina/o Studies

Resources to help get started in your research.

NUsearch - Books & More

NUsearch iconNUsearch is the library's tool for finding books, journals, videos, images, and so much more (both physical and electronic) in our collection.

Search Strategy

Probably the best way to approach searching for books in NUsearch is to start with a keyword search.

  • Enter your search terms, using words you're familiar with that describe your topic.
  • Scan through the results.
  • When you find a book that is relevant to your topic, explore the details of the book, including the author, table of contents and publisher by clicking on the tab labeled "Details".
  • Pay special attention to the subject headings. Clicking on these will call up a list of other books that deal with similar topics.

Subject Headings

In addition to keywords, you can try using subject headings to find books. The main Library of Congress subject heading that refers to U.S. Latinos is Hispanic Americans.

The Hispanic Americans heading can be further subdivided by topical sub-headings, such as:

  • Hispanic Americans --Social Conditions
  • Hispanic Americans --Politics and government
  • Hispanic Americans --Ethnic identity
  • Hispanic Americans --Economic conditions
  • Hispanic Americans --Cultural assimilation

Use geographic sub-headings to help find books about Latinos in a specific region, such as:

  • Hispanic Americans --Illinois --Chicago
  • Hispanic Americans --Michigan
  • Hispanic Americans --Ohio --Cleveland

You can also approach specific Latino ethnic groups, such as:

  • Mexican Americans
  • Cuban Americans
  • Puerto Ricans

Or even Latin Americans living in the United States, such as:

  • Latin Americans --United States
  • Cubans --United States
  • Mexicans --United States

Dictionaries. Encyclopedias & Biographies

Dictionaries provide definitions of terms, correct spellings and usage. They are a good source of keywords for searching.

Encyclopedias provide background information on concepts, events, places and people. They are a good place to start exploring a potential research topic. These encyclopedias address issues in Latino studies and race relations.

Many additional resouces for finding biographies are available on the Online Reference Materials page.

Can't Find It @NUL?

For materials that are not available via Northwestern, or books that are checked out by someone else, you can submit an interlibrary loan request to have a copy of the item sent here.  Articles are sent in digital format and arrive more quickly than books, which are delivered by mail/delivery services;  average time to receive a book request is 5-10 days.

If time is tight and you are willing to travel to another library in the Chicagoland area, take advantage of our Reciprocal Borrowing agreements with the University of Chicago,  Loyola University of Chicago, and University of Illinois Chicago.

Feel free to suggest a purchase, too!