Keyword searching vs. subject searching: In the search box on the library's homepage, type any search term and you have a keyword search. But you may get results that surprise you! The keyword search "dance" will bring up some results that include the word "dance" but are actually about non-dance topics (for example, the physics book Dance of the Photons, or The Dance of International Diplomacy). A subject search for Dance eliminates such non-dance books from the search results.
Use of "AND" and "OR": Use of "AND" combines two important concepts. Using "OR" brings up items containing either of the search terms.
Note: If you put more than 1 word in the search box, the library catalog assumes the "AND" and will look for items that include all your terms. Also, in our catalog, operators must be capitalized.
Examples:
1. To find fewer: narrow the search with “AND” - Modern AND dance*
2. To find more: broaden the search with “OR” - “Martha Graham" OR "modern danc*”
Using " " (Quotation marks)
Putting quotation marks around words tells the system you are looking for that phrase, not the individual words. A search for "Martha Graham" will find the the phrase, whereas a search for the words Martha Graham will include results for (for example) Martha Franklin and Shirley Graham. It's a way of narrowing your search and getting more relevant results.
The Meaning of * (Wildcard)
* picks up any character after the end of the typed-in term. Very useful for words with many variants. For example danc* brings up dance, dances, dancing, dancer, dancers, dancer's, dancers', and any other variant.
