Keyword Search All Fields, Title, Author/Creator, Subject, Expert

Keyword Search Tips

Keyword (ALL) - Search Tips

Matches all word(s) entered in the search box.

  • Enter words in any order: gettysburg battle or battle Gettysburg
  • Use quotation marks ( " " ) to denote exact phrases: "war of the worlds"
  • Use a percent sign ( % ) as a single-character wildcard, either inside or at the end of a search word: wom%n
    Note: if your search terms contain a percent sign, remove the %. Enter "100% solution" as "100 solution"
  • Use a question mark ( ? ) for truncation (different forms of a root word) and as a multiple-character wildcard, either inside or at the end of a search word: entrepr? or col?r
  • Most punctuation marks (hyphens, slashes, periods, etc.) are replaced by spaces. Because spaces are used to divide words, use quotes to treat your search term as a phrase when punctuation occurs in the middle of your term: "1:100,000" or "9/11"
  • Enter more words to increase the relevance of your search results.
  • Capitalization does not matter.
  • Limits can be added.

Keyword (TITLE) - Search Tips

Matches search word(s) found in titles (including subtitles, alternate titles, translated titles, and the statement of responsibility).
All the words entered in the search box are matched.

  • Enter words in any order: gettysburg battle or battle Gettysburg
  • Use quotation marks ( " " ) to denote exact phrases: "war of the worlds"
  • Use a percent sign ( % ) as a single-character wildcard, either inside or at the end of a search word: wom%n
    Note: if your search terms contain a percent sign, remove the %. Enter "100% solution" as "100 solution"
  • Use a question mark ( ? ) for truncation (different forms of a root word) and as a multiple-character wildcard, either inside or at the end of a search word: entrepr? or col?r
  • Most punctuation marks (hyphens, slashes, periods, etc.) are replaced by spaces. Because spaces are used to divide words, use quotes to treat your search term as a phrase when punctuation occurs in the middle of your term: "U.S.A." or "part-time"
  • Enter more words to increase the relevance of your search results.
  • Capitalization does not matter.
  • Limits can be added.

Keyword (AUTHOR/CREATOR) - Search Tips

Matches search word(s) found in name fields (including names of persons and groups who have authored, created, collected, or performed in a work). All the words entered in the search box are matched.

  • Enter words in any order: william shakespeare or shakespeare William
  • Use quotation marks ( " " ) to denote exact phrases: "library of congress" or "international print biennale"
    Note: because name headings are standardized, avoid quoted phrases unless you know the exact order of words in the heading.
  • Use a percent sign ( % ) as a single-character wildcard, either inside or at the end of a search word: Kar%n
    Note: if your search terms contain a percent sign, remove the %. Enter "5% Nation" as "5 Nation"
  • Use a question mark ( ? ) for truncation (different forms of a root word) and as a multiple-character wildcard, either inside or at the end of a search word: will? or jo?n
  • Most punctuation marks (hyphens, slashes, periods, etc.) are replaced by spaces. Because spaces are used to divide words, use quotes to treat your search term as a phrase when punctuation occurs in the middle of your term: "U.S.A." or "4-H"
  • Enter more words to increase the relevance of your search results.
  • Capitalization does not matter.
  • Limits can be added.

Keyword (SUBJECT) - Search Tips

Matches search word(s) found in subject fields (includes, topical terms, forms/genres of materials, names, places, and titles). All the words entered in the search box are matched.

  • Enter words in any order: gettysburg battle or battle gettysburg
  • Use quotation marks ( " " ) to denote exact phrases: "gettysburg battle" or "elizabeth I queen of englandquot;
    Note: because subject headings are standardized, avoid quoted phrases unless you know the exact order of words in the heading.
  • Use a percent sign ( % ) as a single-character wildcard, either inside or at the end of a search word: wom%n
    Note: if your search terms contain a percent sign, remove the %. Enter "5% Nation" as "5 Nation"
  • Use a question mark ( ? ) for truncation (different forms of a root word) and as a multiple-character wildcard, either inside or at the end of a search word: entrepr? or col?r
  • Most punctuation marks (hyphens, slashes, periods, etc.) are replaced by spaces. Because spaces are used to divide words, use quotes to treat your search term as a phrase when punctuation occurs in the middle of your term: "401(k) plans" or "AC/DC"
  • Enter more words to increase the relevance of your search results.
  • Capitalization does not matter.
  • Limits can be added.

Keyword (EXPERT) - Search Tips

A powerful command-driven search option that supports Boolean operators and special index codes for greater search precision.

  • Use AND, OR, NOT and parentheses to combine search words: (mars OR venus) AND mission
  • Use index codes to specify where words should be searched in the record: KSFG western finds western in a form/genre heading.
  • Use quotation marks ( " " ) to denote exact phrases found in a single subfield: "war of the worlds"
  • Use a percent sign ( % ) as a single-character wildcard, either inside or at the end of a search word: wom%n
    Note: if your search terms contain a percent sign, remove the %. Enter "100% solution" as "100 solution"
  • Use a question mark ( ? ) for truncation (different forms of a root word) and as a multiple-character wildcard, either inside or at the end of a search word: polic? or col?r
  • Most punctuation marks (hyphens, slashes, periods, etc.) are replaced by spaces. Because spaces are used to divide words, use quotes to treat your search term as a phrase when punctuation occurs in the middle of your term: "U.S.A." or "9/11"
  • Limits can be added.
  • Example: (wood? OR forest) AND "resource manage?"