Quotation Marks
Put phrases in quotation marks to search for the entire phrase.
Searching for native american will find results with the word "native" or the word "american."
Searching for "native american" will find results about Native Americans.
Boolean Operators
Boolean (BOO-LEE-IN) operators are another useful way to refine your search.
Put the word AND (in ALL-CAPS) between two keywords and your search will pull up only results that have *both* keywords.
Put the word OR (in ALL-CAPS) between two keywords and your search will pull up results that have either one keyword, or the other, or both.
Searching by Location
If you only want to search the Reference section, you can do a search such as the following.
Your Topic Keyword AND b8:reference
For example: Desegregation AND b8:reference
Other searchable sections include: audio visual, periodicals, oversize, and general collection.
Filters
Once you are on the results page, you can limit a search by checking the filter boxes on the left hand side.
Some ways to filter include:
- language
- format (e.g. DVD)
- date published
- author and subject
You can also check the box for Minitex and Worldcat to search larger networks of libraries. If you need a book from another library, click into the record, click the "Request from another library" box, and submit the form that auto-populates.
