Look for books in the library catalog, CONSULS. A good place to start is with a keyword search, which allows you to combine concepts, such as Italians and Connecticut."
Remember that CONSULS is the catalog for all of the CSU campuses, so before you go to the shelf make sure the catalog says the item you want is at SCSU.
If you see an item at any of the other campuses that you need, you can request it by clicking on "Request Book" and entering your university ID number and Library PIN number. The book will be shipped here within 3-5 working days. The State Library in Hartford (items marked SL) will not send books to Southern but it is open to the public.
You can be a lot more specific when searching for journal articles. For example, "Italians and Connecticut" or "Irish and Boston" rather than just searching for Italians in the United States.