Your search strategies are important to finding the type of information that you seek. By searching strategically, you are able to retrieve relevant, useful content that will aid you in your research journey. The boxes below contain some suggestions that may be helpful as you search within the library's resources.
You can likely find relevant information about regeneration in many different types of resources. Some good places to start are
These may be divided by the book(s) of the Bible or the Hebrew Bible/New Testament. Alternatively, they may only be one volume.
You can find many in the Reference Room between BS 192.2 and BS 2825.3.M69. There are also others downstairs in the corresponding BS sections.
Sometimes, it may be helpful to identify synonyms that are related to your original search terms. Different resources/people may use different terms to describe the same phenomenon.
For example, regeneration can be described using a number of other words/phrases.
Can you think of others?
On a related note, many databases contain a thesaurus to help you find resources. Here is one example from the Atla Database.
Oftentimes, your search terms are the most important part of the research process. If you have the correct search terms, you can find relevant information; whereas, incorrect/insufficient search terms will yield little to no relevant information.
You can start with a basic search by using the search box on the library homepage. See if you find anything by using a keyword or phrase.
You may want to conduct an advanced subject search and use these search terms as a starting point.
Search in USearch directly, or do a subject browse using any of these terms.
Alternatively, you can click on the subjects in an item record to discover related items.
You may need to broaden your search before you narrow it, particularly if your initial searches yield little to no results. You may find that broadening your search yields resources that are extremely helpful but would not have been found in a more focused search.
For example, regeneration could be considered a more specific aspect of salvation or soteriology. You may want to search for terms like,
Are there other theological concepts that might encompass regeneration?
What Biblical books directly mention/include the idea of regeneration?
The information that you need/seek may be found in a variety of places. By diversifying your search, you will likely find many different useful resources.
Check out the physical collection at the Styberg Library, particularly the upstairs Reference Collection and the downstairs Circulating Collection. Many Biblical materials can be found in the BS section. Theological materials can be found in the BT section. When you browse the shelves, you may find other helpful, related materials, as items about the same subject are often shelved together. For example, BT 790 contains theological works about regeneration. Alternatively, you can use the virtual browse feature in USearch which allows you to view items that are near an item of interest. This can be found by opening any item record and will be located toward the bottom.
You will also want to check out the online collection by searching directly through USearch and by using the online databases and eBooks.
Helpful Databases:
To find eBooks, visit the ebooks page on the library website.
The eReference books are also a great place to start or gain familiarity with a topic.
Many times, the same authors write about similar topics. By finding one author, you can discover what else they have written. You can also explore their bibliographies to see who they are citing, which may lead to even more promising resources.
Melanie Baffes
Matthew Barrett
Who else is writing about Biblical/theological understandings of regeneration?