Books form the bulk of records in LHD, so require no special search techniques. If the words in the title are common ones, it is best to go to Advanced Search and search by both title and author.
Sales catalogues are well-represented in LHD. For catalogues with generic titles, e.g. Old Masters: Evening Sale, it is best to start with Advanced Search. Sometimes a little experimentation is required, e.g. searching by date or, in the case of older catalogues, with variants on the auction house's name.
For other types of resource, it is best to go to Advanced Search and make a choice from the Document Type section, to focus your search. The scroll bar to the right of the list of document types allows you to access more options:
Journals need to be searched for by journal title, not article title. They may be in physical form:
or online: 
Please note that some libraries will give you access to physical, but not online, material. Consult the libraries in London guide, or check with the SIA librarians.
Dissertation and theses, at both master's and doctoral level, can be found using the Theses option. However LHD is not usually the best starting point: see our dissertations and theses guide for more information.
CDs, DVDs, and various kinds of online resources are represented in LHD. There will almost never be online access from outside the library in question, and university and college libraries do not always allow visitors to access these resources even if you visit: please check ahead. For CDs, choose the document type Sound Recordings. For moving image, choose Projected Images.
Images are poorly represented in LHD, and the records will not show you the actual images. Start instead with our image resources guide.
Maps in physical form are well-represented. As well as choosing document type Maps, you have the option of choosing a scale, on the upper part of the more search options page.
Archival items - principally unique copies of primary materials - are poorly represented in LHD. Instead begin with the archives guide.