The Basic Search screen allows you to select from a drop down list to search by either Keyword, Title, Journal Title, Author, Subject, Call number LC or Local, Author (sorted by title), and Special Collections Subject.
The default search is a ranked keyword and the default operator is “and”.
To perform a basic search:
- Enter your search word or phrase in the box Search
- Then select the type of search you wish to do in the box adjacent to it, as: (keyword, title, etc.)
- Click on Search or press the Enter key to perform the search.
You may choose another search method by selecting the Advanced Search tab. If you want to perform a keyword search using Boolean operators (And, Or, Not), you must select the Advanced Search tab.
The "Records per page" drop down list on the lower left controls the number of lines displayed on each screen in your search results.
The "Quick Limits" are used to apply a single limit to your current search. You can only use a Quick Limit with a search in Keyword or in Title. For example, you can limit your search to just books (thereby excluding journals, videorecordings, etc. from your search results), online books and serials, serials and journals, movies/dvds, sound recordings, Archives and Manuscripts, or to materials published in 2007 or after, or those published in English. You may also apply search limits after executing a Basic Search, by using the “Filter your Search” feature on the search results screen.
Keyword Search Tips
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Tip |
Example: |
Finds: |
|---|---|---|
|
Use ? to truncate: |
econ? ?rport behavi?r |
economy, economical, economics, etc. airport, carport, etc. behavior or behaviour |
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Use % to match a specified character length (a % equals one character): |
defen%e |
defence and defense |
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Include any elided articles: |
lenfant enfant enfant |
will retrieve l'enfant will not retrieve l'enfant will retrieve mon enfant |
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Use quotation marks to search for phrases: |
"global warming" "great britain" |
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Use + to indicate essential terms: |
+cuba +politics |
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Use * to indicate important terms: |
*renaissance |
Title or Journal Title
|
Tip |
Example: |
Finds: |
|---|---|---|
|
Enter as much of the title as you know: |
old man and the sea journal of environmental economics |
Old man and the sea; Ernest Hemingway's the old man and the sea, etc. Journal of environmental economics and management |
Author:
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Tip |
Example: |
|---|---|
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For individuals, enter last name first: |
carson rachel |
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Enter names of organizations or groups: |
american psychological association |
Author (Sorted by Title)
Use this index when the form of the author's name is known or for prolific composers or authors. Use the other Author search for second authors, editors, and translators.
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Tip |
Example: |
|---|---|
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Enter author's last name first: |
shakespeare william bach johann |
Subject
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Tip |
Example: |
|---|---|
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Use Library of Congress Subject Headings: |
soil erosion |
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or Medical Subject Headings: |
magnetic resonance imaging |
Call Number
|
Tip |
Example: |
|---|---|
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Enter as much of the call number as you know, including punctuation and spaces: |
PS3537.T32 |
Special Collection Subject
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Tip |
Example: |
|---|---|
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Used for information about the origin, binding, date, illustration method, or provenance of items in Yale's Special collections: |
incunabula in yale library stein gertrude 1874 1946 ownership lithography specimens 1844 |