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Polish-American Relations, 1918 to Present: Manuscript Resources at the Library of Congress

General Search Tips

When searching for materials related to Poland and Polish history in the Library of Congress Online Catalog and in other repositories, there are several strategies and to keep in mind.

  • When searching for Poland-related material, remember that names may have alternate spellings. Try searching for names without the diacritics, or variations of names that have been spelled differently based on geographic location (i.e. Pilsudski or Kosciuszko, or John Paul instead of Jan Paweł).
  • Geographic names may also have variations, such as Breslau instead of Wroclaw, based on the time period and the particular collection.
  • Knowing related names of prominent American persons, such as dignitaries and ambassadors, and companies from the period of your research may help you find relevant collections.
  • Search our online finding aids for related names and geographic locations.

Using Library of Congress Subject Headings

Authorized subject headings can be useful when searching in online catalogs. Subject headings include standardized topics, names, places, titles, and forms/genres of material. Subject headings like those listed below can help researchers get started and to perform searches in the Library of Congress Online Catalog.

Tips for Searching the Library of Congress Online Catalog

When searching in the Library of Congress Online Catalog, you can confine your search results to materials held by the Manuscript Division using "advanced search" (see screenshot below).