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IST 605: Indigenous North American Folklore

Cultural Arts

First Stop The Library!

Your Public Library & School Library is a standout resource for obtaining information on anything! The skilled professionals and carefully curated collections that your public & school libraries have are amazing. Your public & school libraries allow you to barrow materials, access online resources & databases, and more.

This is an example of a catalog from a public library, highlighting Native American folklore. 

Search Tips

When searching for information about Indigenous North American Folklore, here are a couple tips: 

  • Indigenous, Native American, and American Indian are synonyms and great keywords when conducting searches. If you are searching by subject within a library catalog or academic database, use Native American. 
  • Folklore, tales, stories, legends, myths, and fables are interchangeable keywords. 
  • For specific tribe, region, or theme of folklore, search by the specific names of tribe, region, title, or character name as keywords.
  • Folklore, storytelling, is culturally significate to Indigenous North Americans. Rely on credible sources, especially people and institutions that are apart of the Indigenous community. Accurate information fosters understanding and appreciation among everyone. 
  • Use Boolean operators: 

What are Boolean Operators? Boolean operators are words used to connect or exclude keywords in your search, helping you find more relevant information. 

1. AND 

  • Use AND to narrow your search. 

  • Example: Cats AND Dogs will find results that include both cats and dogs. 

2. OR 

  • Use OR to broaden your search. 

  • Example: Cats OR Dogs will find results that include either cats or dogs. 

3. NOT 

  • Use NOT to exclude specific terms. 

  • Example: Cats NOT Dogs will find results about cats but exclude any mentioning dogs. 

Tips for Effective Use: 

  • Be Specific: Use AND to focus on a particular topic. 

  • Broaden Your Search: Use OR to find more information on related topics. 

  • Exclude Irrelevant Terms: Use NOT to filter out information you don’t need. 

Practice Makes Perfect: 

  • Experiment with different combinations to see how they impact your search results. 

Remember: 

  • Capitalization usually doesn't matter. 

  • Use parentheses to group terms when combining operators.