I WANT TO HUG THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SUBJECT HEADINGS BOOK!

...but I probably won't due to all the germs it probably carries.  Anyway, The Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCHS), helped me gather a wealth of sources.  For me, gathering sources is intimidating.  First, I'm never quite sure of what to look for.  Before consulting the LCHS, here was my inner dialog:

"Rebecca Reed...that's my topic.  I'll just type that in everywhere--google scholar, the library card catalog, various databases.  What if I don't find enough sources?  What if I gather all of the wrong sources?  What if all my sources are books and I cannot find them and I wander around the library until it closes without me finding anything.  RESEARCH LIBRARIANS.  Yes, I should consult with one.  They are so helpful.  What did Craft of Research (Booth et al) say about gathering sources?  Maybe I should stand up and start so that I don't waste all of this time worrying.  Worry is like a rocking chair; it gives people something to do, but gets us nowhere.  Where did I hear this before?  I digress.  Probably because I don't want to get started."

Then I stood up and I walked over to the librarians to ask them about the LCHS.  They pointed me in the right direction and I got started.  For someone like me, who thinks a mile a minute and worries about the outcome of the task I'm about to begin, I have discovered that it is best to just start.  Once I'm rolling, I'm focused and I tend to relax.  I began looking for Rebecca Reed, but realized that they do not include many names, so I began with "Anti-Catholocism," since this was the heart of the issue in Reed's work, as she exposed the purported corruption of the convent and fueled a long debate between the Protestants and the Catholics.  Below is an outline of headings I found useful for my topic:

• ANTI-CATHOLICISM
• RT:  CATHOLIC CHURCH--CONTROVERSIAL LITERATURE
• ANTI-CATHOLICISM IN LITERATURE
• CONVENTS
• UF:  CLOISTERS (RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES)
• UF:  CONVENTS AND NUNNERIES
• UF:  NUNNERIES
• BT:  RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS
• RT:  MONASTICISM AND RELIGIOUS ORDERS FOR WOMEN
• NT:  ABBEYS
• CONVENTS IN LITERATURE
• RIOTS
• BT:  POLITICAL VIOLENCE
• CATHOLIC
• HISTORY
• 18th CENTURY
• 19th CENTURY
• RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS
• RT:  RELIGIOUS FACILITIES
• NT:  CATHOLIC INSTITUTIONS
• NT:  CONVENTS
• PURITAN WOMEN
• BT:  CHRISTIAN WOMEN
• PURITANS
• NEW ENGLAND
• MASSACHUSETTS

Key

BT=Broader Term

NT=Narrower Term

RT=Related Term

UF=Used For

The moral of my story is:

1. Don't let research overwhelm you.  There are resources in the library to help (such as research librarians!).
2. Consult the LCSH list before going on a google rampage; it will prove more helpful.