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HISTORY 495S/496S: Honors Thesis Seminar 2024/25

A guide for the year-long senior honors seminar (HISTORY 495S/496S)

Understand the Difference between "Catalog Record" and "Finding Aid"

Duke Catalog Record

This is the higher level catalog record of an archival collection; found in catalogs like the Duke Catalog and Worldcat; in the Duke catalog, the Finding Aid, Rubenstein prefers to use the word Collection Guide, is linked to the catalog record:

Rubenstein "Finding Aid" or Collection Guide

Rubenstein Library calls "Finding Aids" "Collection Guides." These guides are detailed descriptions of the materials, where they came from (Provenance), and how they are organized:

 

Search across Finding Aids/Collection Guides

Rubenstein allows you to search across the Finding Aids/Collection Guides of their collections. Click the tab Collection Guide and enter a name or a keyword.