While WorldCatUMD is a very powerful discovery tool that will lead you to many scholarly articles, it does not include all of our specialized databases, nor does it allow you to make use of their advanced search features. When in doubt, go straight to the source, accessing your subject databases through the Databases tab on the Libraries homepage.
Subject headings still make for a very effective search tool, whether you are in WorldCatUMD, a specialized database, or the Classic Catalog. All of these interface have subject terms, usually linked, that allow you to find other materials on this topics. If you find a pertinent book or article, click the linked subject headings to find related material. You can also start a search with subject terms, but leave the dashes out in WorldCatUMD.
Sample Library of Congress subject headings (they may differ slightly in the databases):
Italian language -- Dictionaries
Found the perfect book or article for your topic? Great! Don't forget to follow up on the works cited. They've put together extensive bibliographies, so might as well take advantage in your research!
Since you have the source's citation information (author, year, journal title, volume, etc.), you can search for it using the Citation Finder. If you are off campus, you will be asked to log in with your directory ID and password. That will take you to the WorldCat Link Resolver, which will indicate whether the article or book is available online, in the catalog (i.e. we have a hard copy in the library), or if you need to request a copy of it through ILL. You can also request a scanned copy of an article we have in hard copy through Scan & Deliver.
