Help for Classic Search

Keyword Search

Feature Details Examples
ADJACENCY Multiple words are searched together as one phrase. United States supreme court
TRUNCATION Words may be right-hand truncated using an asterisk. Use a single asterisk * to truncate from 1-5 characters. Use a double asterisk ** for open-ended truncation. environment* polic*
fyodor dost**
OPERATORS Use "and" or "or" to specify multiple words in any field, any order. Use "and not" to exclude words. Parentheses group words together when using Boolean operators. (annotated bibliography) and child*
(alaska or canada) and (adventure not vacation)
PROXIMITY Use "near" to specify words close to each other, in any order. Use "within #" to specify terms which occur within # words of e ach other in the record. California near university
america within 3 econom*
FIELDS Specify fields to search, using field abbreviation. Fields available for this database are a: (author), t: (title), s: (subject), and n: (note.) (a:twain) and (t:huck*)
(a:united and a:states) and (s:handicapped or s:disabled)

Author Search

- Author or Artist’s LAST NAME first. Alternatively, the name of an organization or governmental body. Examples:
  • Shakespeare
  • Woolf, Virginia
  • American Medical Association
  • United States Congress

Title Search

- Part or all of the Title. Examples:
  • The merchant of Venice
  • Merchant of V
  • Merchant

Author and Title Search

- Author’s LAST name and any part of the title. Examples:
Author: Twain Title: Huck
Author: Lee Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
Author: Shakespeare Title: Tempest

Subject

- LC Subject. Examples:
  • Childrens' Rights
  • Film criticism
  • Civil War

Call Number

- Dewey Call Number. Examples:
  • 993.1 004 994
  • 993.1
  • 676

Standard Number (ISBN or ISSN)

- Examples:
  • 0393019217
  • 0-3930-1921-7
  • 0003-1488

Government Document Number

- Include periods, colons, slashes, dashes. Replace commas with spaces. Spacing and capitalization do not matter. Examples:
U.S. SuDocs no. Y 4.IN 8/16-15:992-2
U.S. G.P.O. item no. 15
U.S. G.P.O. item no. 015
N.Y. State doc. no. COU 402-4 DUEK 91-8095
Canadian doc. no. CO 28-1 60-1990 E

Form/Genre Search

- Examples:
  • Juvenile literature
  • Fiction
  • Biography

Music Number/Technical Report Number Search

- Examples:
  • NASA CR 188905
  • MVCD 1051
  • 426 232-2
  • 0376 HBO Video

LC Call Number Search

- Examples:
  • PS3552.U75 Z52
  • NA2335 .A37 1983
  • QC16.F49 G54