Use search terms that describe the perfect result -- e.g. "history of the war on drugs book"
Pay attention to results that come from university archives -- often schools have special collections that could be relevant to your research. (See examples below)
Be on the lookout for museums -- they may have collections relevant to your research. (See examples below)
Be aware of the different between Google and Google Scholar.
Google will find you a wider number of sources (which may or may not be helpful!).
Google Scholar will narrow your focus to scholarly / academic articles.
You may find information on collections and other materials through newspapers. Some newspaper databases available at UC Merced include the following.
1985 - present. LA Times news stories, sports, business, culture, editorials, editorial cartoons, obituaries and letters to the editor from well-known authors are indexed and searchable in this database. Cited articles include an abstract.
1980 - present. Comprehensive digital coverage back to 1980. News stories, sports, business, culture, editorials, editorial cartoons, obituaries and letters to the editor from well-known authors are indexed and searchable in this database. Cited articles include an abstract.
Dates vary. Full-text content of more than 600 U.S. newspapers and 700 international sources. Local, regional and world news, including community events, schools, politics, government policies, cultural activities, local companies, state industries, and people.
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