These search tips apply to all library online resources

Keyword

• enter words and/or phrases in any order
• use quotes to search phrases: "united states"
• use ? to truncate: browser?; ?natal; wom?n
• use + to mark essential terms: +explorer
• use * to mark important terms: *internet
• use ! to exclude terms: !microsoft

AND, OR, NOT (Boolean)

• use and, or, not to combine search terms
• use quotation marks to indicate phrases: "united states"
• use opening and closing parentheses to group search terms (kansas or missouri) AND wildflower
• use ? to truncate: browser?; ?natal; wom?n

Author

• if searching for a person, enter the last name first (Example: smith, john)
• If using a person's initials, replace them with spaces (Example: eliot, t s)
• if searching for an initialism with periods, include them (Example: A.B.A.)
• Search Limits do NOT apply to Author searches

Title, Journal Title

• omit initial articles (a, an, the, la, el, etc.)
• truncation on the right is implied (you do not need to use a ?)

Subject Headings

• omit all punctuation (Example: kansas history civil war)
• truncation on the right is implied (you do not need to use a ?)
• Search Limits do NOT apply to Subject Heading searches

Call Number

• truncation on the right is implied (you do not need to use a ?)
• Search Limits do NOT apply to Call Number searches

Series Titles

• includes "see" and "see also" references
• search as you would a normal title