This post was written by Kaitlin Siebert, public services librarian at DeGolyer Library, and is accompanied by an online DeGolyer exhibit.
Paws, prints and primary sources
Last Friday, August 8, 2025, was International Cat Day. In celebration of this momentous occasion, I explored DeGolyer Library’s digital collections in search of photographs and/or illustrations of cats. This was a successful endeavor with 867 results appearing. But how did all these items (largely primary sources) show up with a simple search for the word cats?
The answer: keywords, authorized subject terms, and search syntax.
Keywords
Keywords are words or phrases that represent the key elements of a research topic. It’s important to perform background research before you begin articulate keywords and searching for a primary source. This step helps you identify the language and terminology commonly used to describe your specific topic.
For example, if my research topic is How pet photography signified wealth in the Victorian era (yes, as wild as it sounds, it really did), keywords might include photography, pet portraits, and 19th century. Background research could clarify the exact years of the Victorian era, the types of photography used during that time, and the regions or demographics where the activity was popular.
Breaking a topic into keywords is an art in itself, so I’ll link to a few resources below:
Authorized subject terms
You may be wondering — what are authorized subject terms and how do they differ from keywords?
Authorized subject terms are pre-determined terms used to describe content of an item and that make the item discoverable when the authorized subject term is searched. These terms come from a controlled vocabulary, which is unique to each database or search engine.
For example, if library staff were cataloging a photograph of a cat, an authorized subject term might be cats (the word/descriptor “photograph” would likely be in the form section of an item record). Then, if a user searched our digital collections for “cats,” items associated with that subject term (or even keyword) would appear in the results. For example, here are results using the search term “cats,” filtering for DeGolyer Library items.
Here is one result which appeared with a keyword of “cats”:
Though this record lacks “cats” as a keyword, it appears in search because “cats” is an authorized subject term for the image.
Here’s the catch: we don’t always know what the authorized terms are until we find them. Most searches begin with keywords — more like natural language — and once we find an item of interest, we can check its record for authorized subject terms.
Search syntax
The last piece of the puzzle is search syntax — the symbols and rules used to manipulate keywords and refine search queries. Search syntax is mostly about remembering (or remembering where to look up) the rules.
Major strategies include:
- Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT)
- Truncations (symbols such as *, !, ?, or #, used to extend/expand a word’s spelling or ending)
- Wildcards (symbols that replace a letter to allow for spelling variations)
Putting it all together
So how does this help us find cats?
We start by searching cat in the SMU Libraries digital collections, which gives us nearly 900 results. Then we click on an item record that matches our needs and check its authorized subject terms. Select an authorized subject term that is related to your needs, in this case, cats (Pro tip, you can click on authorized subject term to view other items with those terms). From there, we further refine results using more specific keywords and search syntax to combine and filter terms.
And voilà — you’ve got cats! Cats on postcards! Cats in laps! Cats being held! Illustrated cats! Live cats! One murdered ocelot!
For even more cats, browse the SMU Libraries Digital Collections, or view items from these collections: Belo Records, 1827-2000s; Texas-Photographs, Manuscripts and Imprints; John Miller Morris Real Photographic Postcards and Photographs of Texas; and the George W. Cook-Texas Image Collection. Enjoy a few of the cats admired (and acquired) during the search below.
Collection of Cowgirl Postcards
Archives of Women of the Southwest
Lawrence T. Jones III Texas Photographs
About the librarian
In my new role as Public Services Librarian for the DeGolyer Library, I manage the reading room, provide reference and research support, coordinate class visits, and help bring our collections to life through events, exhibitions, publications, and social media. I’m always happy to work with faculty to integrate special collections into their teaching and research. I also support collection accessibility through processing work and serve on library and university committees, advocating on behalf of the DeGolyer and the Rees-Jones Library of the American West. – Kaitlin Siebert