BROWSE/INDEX

The main content of the database has been thoroughly indexed by a team of librarians and subject specialists using a controlled vocabulary with indexing terms similar to those used by the Library of Congress in its catalog. (For more information on the index and indexing process, see, “The Subject Index.”) Every article, primary document, image, and web link has been indexed and tagged according to this defined vocabulary. To provide access to this index, there are three types of browsing available, each tailored to a different level and type of user and informational need:

1. Subject Browse: A condensed Subject Browse is on the bottom left of the Home Page. This first-level browse comprises a selected list of the most popular subjects covered in the database, such as Arts & Entertainment, Literature, and History. It also contains an Icons list, providing instant access to material on the most popular figures in the index. All of the items on the list are expandable, with subcategories appearing or disappearing with a mouseover.

   

2. Browse: A more detailed Subject Browse, ideal for most AAE users, is also available by clicking the BROWSE button at the top right of every page on the site. The three-column design makes browsing through the index easy.

   Instructions: In the first (left) column, a simple list of broad subject categories appears. Click on any of the broad categories to reveal the second-level subcategories. A click on any of these subcategories will call up all related indexing terms from the index in the second (center) column. (Note that many of these terms are expandable, and that you may need to use the previous/next buttons to page through some of the larger terms.) Click on any of these terms and a list of content indexed under that term will appear in the third (right) column. Articles will appear first, followed by Primary Documents, Images, and Web Links, if any are available in the database under the chosen term. A last click on any of these results takes you directly to that piece of content.

   

   A Note about Names and Browse Results
   If you are having difficulty finding Results for an individual name in the Browse, consider looking under both their first and last name. For example, an article about Zora Neale Hurston could be titled with the Library of Congress designation of “Hurston, Zora Neale” (which is how she is indexed in the browse), while there is another article titled “Zora Neale Hurston” by Maxine Sample from the Greenwood reference work, African American Autobiographers, which would appear in the Browse Results (right hand) column under “Z” rather than “H.” So be sure to look closely and thoroughly at your browse results.

3. Index: For more experienced users, the Index provides direct access to AAE's full, 17,000+ term index. (For more information about the index that powers this browse function, click here.) Though it has a similar interface to the Subject Browse, the Index contains only two columns. The first column contains every indexing term in the database, without the top-level subject filter used on the Subject Browse to narrow down your browse. Therefore, with the Index, you can go directly to lesser-used, very specific entries such as the “African Liberation Day Movement” (1 article), the “ROVA Saxophone Quartet" (1 article), or "Eazy-E" (2 articles).

   Instructions: Page through the massive list of subject sub-categories in the first column by using the “Previous” or “Next” buttons, or use the “Jump To” box at the top of the column. Simply type in a term—or just the first few letters of a term—and click “Go” to jump to that section of the index. For example, if you’d like to see if there are any terms in the index under Religion, type “reli” in the Jump To box, click “Go” and you will jump to the first sub-category in the index beginning with the letters “reli.” Click on any indexing term in the first column and a list of content tagged with that term will appear in the second column. (Note that many of the indexing terms are expandable.) Articles are listed first, followed by Primary Documents, Images, and Web Links, if any are available.

   

4. Image Index: This feature can be found on the Home Page, the Additional Resources section, and as a link on the Index page. This index allows users to navigate through thousands of photographs, illustrations, maps, and other images by using the site’s indexing terms.

   Instructions: Click on any of the Sub-Categories and corresponding thumbnail images that have been indexed using that term by our indexing team will appear in the right-hand “Results” column. When you spot an image that interests you, clicking on the image will take you to the content page where this image appears. In most cases the image will be accompanied by a caption and other contextual and citation information, and the user may have to scroll up or down to find the image. To navigate through the index, use the letters along the left-hand column and the “Previous” and “Next” buttons that appear at the bottom of the Sub-categories column for more results that begin with each letter. Or type your search term in the “Jump-to” box and click “Go”; if there is an image that matches your search term, the screen with “jump” to the appropriate indexing term and corresponding image.

5. Primary Source Index: This feature can be found on the Home Page, the Additional Resources section, and as a link on the Index page. This index allows users to navigate through thousands of quotations, speeches, court ruling, treaties, and other primary sources by using the site’s indexing terms.

   Instructions:Click on any of the Sub-Categories and corresponding content containing primary sources will appear in the right-hand “Results” column. When you spot a primary source that interests you, clicking on it will take you to the full-text content page where this primary source material appears. In some cases, the Primary Source will be a single document that appears with little or no introductory content. However, in most cases, the primary source material will appear as part of an essay or article with contextualizing information, and often, other primary source materials preceding or following it. The user may have to scroll up or down to find the Primary Source they wish to use in their research. To navigate through the index, use the letters along the left-hand column and the “Previous” and “Next” buttons that appear at the bottom of the Sub-categories column for more results that begin with each letter. Or type your search term in the “Jump-to” box and click “Go”; if there is an image that matches your search term, the screen with “jump” to the appropriate indexing term and corresponding primary source.

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