Click any of the radio buttons for examples of that type of search.
The catalog will search the library's records, looking for the words that you type in various fields, such as title, contents notes, corporate names, etc. Examples:
You may use the Boolean operators
AND, OR and NOT
You may also truncate words with an asterisk
For example:
- Soviet and Russian
- Soviet Union or Russia
- Mexico not New
- (games or toys) and (child* or infant*)
| Keyword Search Tips |
| Adjacency |
Multiple words are searched together as one phrase.
Example : world health organization |
|---|
| Wildcards |
Words may be right-hand truncated using an asterisk. '*' for 1-5 characters, '**' for open-ended truncation, '?' to replace a single character anywhere within a word.
Examples : environment* polic*, comput**, wom?n |
|---|
| Boolean Operators |
Use "and" or "or" to specify multiple words in any field, any order. Use "and not" to exclude words.
Example : stocks and bonds
Example : (alaska or canada) and (adventure and not vacation) |
|---|
| Proximity Operators |
Use "near" to specify words close to each other, in any order.
Example : california near university |
|---|
| Field limits |
A field limit causes the system to search only the specified field for the specified word(s). |
|---|
| Grouping |
Keyword search results are usually grouped by relevance to bring the most likely titles to the top of the list. Each group represents a similar level of relevance and results are sorted within the group by date or title. To get an ungrouped result set, use boolean operators to form a complex query.
|
IMPORTANT NOTE: Some books on
RESERVE for classes are
not listed by author in this catalog; check by
instructor or by
course.
Type the first few words of the Title, for example:
- Around the world …
- Around the world in eighty days
If you do not know the first few words of the title or do not find what you want, try a Advanced Keyword Search search.
To locate electronic titles only, choose a Advanced Keyword Search search and limit the search to location "Internet."
NOTE: to find a short, precise title (such as "Time" or "New York Times") use the "pipe" symbol (a vertical bar), i.e., "Time|"
IMPORTANT NOTE: Some books on
RESERVE for classes are
not listed by author in this catalog; check by
instructor or by
course.
An Author may be a writer, editor, composer, artist, performer, company, government body, etc.
To search for a person, type the last name, first and as much of the rest of the name as you know, for example:
- Reed, Ishmael
- Kingston, Maxine Hong
- Kingston, M
For a company, group, or government body, type the name:
- American Medical Association
- Conference on Aging
- Hewlett Packard
- Rolling Stones
- United States Bureau of Indian Affairs
A
Subject can be a topic, person, place, event, etc. You must use the exact beginning of a
Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH) to do a subject search, for example:
- children's rights
- motion pictures
- United States History Civil War, 1861-1865
- Immigrants OR Immigrants -- California
- Kingston, Maxine H. OR Kingston, Maxine Hong
- Climatic changes OR Climatic Changes -- Government Policy
Subject headings are listed in the Library of Congress Subject Headings books located in the Reference Area.
The subject search uses a specific, controlled vocabulary for describing Library material. If you do not find what you are looking for in the subject index, try a keyword search, then check the subject headings that describe the books found in that search. Or, Contact Us for assistance.
