How to Search the CCI Library Catalogue
Searching
Displaying Records after a Search
Troubleshooting
To do a search:
- Type query criteria .
If you fill in more than one box, results must meet all criteria.
Example: Find books that contain the word "adhesives" in the
title AND have a publication date later than 2000.
- Click the Submit Query
button.
- Records that meet your
criteria are displayed as a report.
- To change the way records
appear in the report, select a form from the drop-down list.
Finding words and phrases
Type the word you want to find (adhesives)
or type a phrase (air quality management)
to find those words in that order. To find variations of words, type an
asterisk at the end of one or more word stems (adhes*
test*). Use the symbols &, /, and ! between
words or phrases to represent Boolean AND, OR, and NOT. Include a space before and after the symbol. Use
the proximity operators w# (within) and p# (preceding) to find
words near each other. See the examples below.
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Type this…
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To find…
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adhesives testing
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a phrase (those words, in that order)
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adhesive / glue
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either word (or both)
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adhes* & test*
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records that contain both words (items that contain
just one of the words will be ignored)
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rugs ! collecting
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“rugs” but not “collecting”
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rugs p5 catalogs
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“rugs” preceding “catalogs” by 5 words or fewer. You can
include an asterisk at the end of either word. Do not use phrases
(eg., materials p5 decorative arts).
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Adhesives w5 test*
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“adhesives” within 5 words (before or after) of
“test/tests/testing, etc.”. Do
not include phrases.
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Words joined by & / ! are evaluated in left-to-right order. For
example, red & white / blue finds
index items that contain "red" and "white", or items that
contain "blue". Use parentheses to control evaluation order: For
example, red & (white / blue)
finds index items that contain "red" and "white" OR
"red" AND "blue".
Finding a Date
You can use the symbols & / ! between dates to do AND-OR-NOT
searches. For example, 2002 / 2003
finds all dates in 2002 or 2003.
You can do "less than", "greater than", and range
searches for dates (see examples below).
Doing "less than," "greater than," and
"between" searches
You can search for items greater than or less than a certain value, or
within a range. This is most commonly done when searching for dates, but can
also be done when searching for values or text. Use the symbols shown below.
When used with a partial date, these symbols search from the beginning of the
date (first day of the month or year). A range consists of two values, low and
high, separated by a colon. Include spaces around the colon.
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Symbol
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Meaning
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Example
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<
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less than (before)
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< 2003 finds
dates before January 1, 2003
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<=
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less than or equal to
(on or before)
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<= 1995 finds
dates before, or including, 1995
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>
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greater than (after)
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> 2002 finds
dates after December 31, 2001
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>=
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greater than or equal to
(on or after)
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>= 1995 finds
dates after, or including, 1995
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:
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between
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1997 : 1998 finds
dates from Jan. 1, 1997 through Dec. 31, 1998 (inclusive)
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Using the AND-OR-NOT drop-down list
If a search form includes an AND-OR-NOT drop-down list in front of each box,
you can do more advanced searches. The Boolean operator you select for a box
determines how the search criteria in that box will be combined with criteria
already evaluated. Boxes are evaluated from top to bottom (first box to last).
Using a regular drop-down list
If a search form includes a drop-down list next to a box (eg., Record
Type / Format), you can open the list and select one term for which to
search. To clear the box, open the list again and select the blank line at the
very top of the list.
A term is a complete item, with no additional text before or after. To
search for a term, precede it with an equal sign (=). For example, =macintosh apples finds only that complete
term (does not find just "macintosh" or just "apples" or
that phrase embedded in other text).
Case and punctuation
Case in query criteria is usually ignored (a search for content server finds Content Server). Punctuation
is also ignored, except for the AND-OR-NOT symbols (& / !) and
search symbols (for example, : = < >). If you do not want these
characters to be interpreted as search symbols, use quotation marks ("Johnson & Johnson") or
replace the punctuation with a space (Johnson
Johnson).
Clear button
To clear query criteria, click the Clear button on the search screen.
Submit Query button
To start your search, click the Submit Query button.
A successful search finds one or more records, which are displayed in your
Web browser as a report. Use the browser controls as you normally would, to
browse, print, go back, and so forth. You can also:
- Change the report's
appearance. Select a form from the drop-down list on the page.
- Jump to other locations.
Click links on the report to display more detail or jump to other pages.
- Display additional
pages. Click the Next and Previous buttons on the report
page.
If you are having trouble with a search, some of the most common problems
are listed below. If you do not find an answer to your problem here, please contact the
Webmaster for this site.
I got the message "Unable to recognize as a
correctly formed query."
The program cannot understand the search criteria. Possible problems
include:
- Typographical errors
- Mismatched quotes or
parentheses
- Extra Boolean search
symbols (for example, you should have typed car
/ auto instead of car / auto / )
- Missing quotation marks
around symbols that can be misinterpreted. For example, search for "http://www.inmagic.com".
If you cannot determine what caused the error, try
a simpler search (for example, just a word in a box) to see if it works. If the
search form includes Index buttons, use them to construct the query, instead of
typing criteria. If even simple searches do not work, contact the library.
I found too many records.
If you used an asterisk, omit it and try an exact search instead (for
example, search for computer technology
instead of comp*).
Try using a Boolean symbol (& / !) between words to construct
more precise queries. For example, to find articles about mythology, not cartoons,
search for hercules ! cartoon.
If the item you are searching for includes punctuation, substitute spaces
for punctuation (for example, search for db
textworks, not db/textworks) or
surround the item with quotation marks ("db/textworks").
I did not find any records.
Examine the contents of the search form
(especially if it is longer than the screen) to verify that you do not have
query criteria left over from a previous search.
If you are not sure of the spelling, use an asterisk after the first few
characters (for example, colo*) or
separate several possible spellings with a forward slash (for example, search
for color / colour).
If you did a complex search, try simplifying it to eliminate confusion. If
the search form has Word Wheel buttons, use them to view and paste items to
search for.
If you are trying to find records that contain multiple words anywhere in
the record, separate the words with Boolean symbols (& / !).
Otherwise, you are doing a phrase search, which finds these words in that
order.
If your search includes Boolean symbols (/
& !) or range searches (:), put spaces around the symbols.
Do not use words (and, or, not) for Boolean
operators. You must use the Boolean symbols (& / !).
Try using / instead of & between words. Using /
means either word can be present (john / paul
finds John or Paul). Using & means both words must be present (john & paul will not find just
"John" or just "Paul").
Remember that range searches involving partial
dates start from the beginning of the range. For example: <2003
means "before Jan. 1, 2003."
When I try to display records or change forms, I
get the message, "Your current query has expired. Perform the search
again."
The query set file that stored your search results has expired, so you will
have to do your search again. If this message occurs frequently, contact the
Webmaster for the site.
