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UVic Library Search Help

Tips for using the Library Search interface at the University of Victoria Libraries.

Formulating complex searches

If your topic needs more than a single word or phrase to describe, the Advanced Search interface can help you build that more complex search. 

Clicking "Advanced Search" next to the search bar will take you to the interface.

Click here to view the video guide to Advanced Search.

Screenshot of the Library Search interface. A green arrow points out the “advanced search” link to the right of the basic search box.

When opening Advanced Search, you will see two lines where a search term can be entered. You also have the option of adding additional lines. 

Screenshot of the Library Search advanced interface. Annotations emphasize the two search fields offered by the interface, and the button underneath allowing users to ‘Add a new line.’

 

Once you have entered your search terms, you can also place limits on how and where the database searches. Each downward pointing arrow in the following image provides a different way of modifying your search.
Screenshot of the Library Search advanced interface, with annotations emphasizing the numerous options offered by the dropdown menus next to each search field.

 

Using the drop down menus on the left side, you can tell the database where in the item records you would like to look for each search term. For instance, you can limit your search to locate your keyword in titles or author names as illustrated in the following image. Click on any drop down menu to see what options it provides. 

Screenshot of the Library Search advanced interface, with the primary search field dropdown menu opened to display the search options available. Searchers may specify “Any field,” “Title,” “Author/Creator,” and more.

 

Using the drop down menus on the right side, you can tell the database to only include items in your results that adhere to a specific criteria. For instance, using the 'Material Format' menu you can ask to only see results that fit a specific format like books or articles.

Screenshot of the Library Search advanced interface, with the ‘Material type’ field dropdown menu opened to display the search options available. Searchers may specify “Journals,” “Books,” “Articles,” and more.

 

Using the language menu, you can ask to see only results that are published in a specific language.

Screenshot of the Library Search advanced interface, with the ‘Language’ field dropdown menu opened to display the search options available.

And by using the date menus, you can limit your results to items published during a specific period of time.  

 Screenshot of the Library Search advanced interface, with the ‘Start Date’ and ‘End Date’ fields circled, allowing searchers to specify a range of publication years to limit their search results.

Bringing together multiple options allows you to build that more complex search required by your research topic. Note that the year '9999'  in the 'End Date' field is autofilled by the system after entering a value for the Start Date, in order to show us results published up to the present day.

Screenshot of the Library Search advanced interface, with a complex search using multiple search fields entered. The first search field reads, “Title contains ‘exhaustion OR sleep deprivation OR fatigue.’” The following field reads “AND Any field contains job performance,” followed by “AND Any field contains shift worker* OR employee.” The material type is specified as “Articles,” and the Start Date as 2010.

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