Search tips

From the main page

• Keyword Search
  To search all collections and retrieve the greatest number of results, simply enter a keyword in the search box on the main page and click the button marked “go”. Results will appear on a new page.
  
  To retrieve greater results, try adding the “*” as a wildcard character to the end of your keyword. A search of “boat*” will retrieve terms like ‘boats’ and ‘boating’.
  
• Browse by organization
  To view all items from a single organization, choose the name of the organization from the drop down menu, and click the button marked “go”. Results will appear on a new page.
  
  While browsing, you have the option to change the way results are displayed. The default is the grid view. To change the view, click one of the options on the menu bar near the top on the right:
  [View: Grid Thumbnails Bibliographic Titles]
  
  Grid — displays a thumbnail image with several fields.
  Thumbnails — displays a thumbnail image and the item title only.
  Bibliographic — displays text from several fields without images.
  Titles — displays only item titles.

Expanded search
Use the Advanced Search feature to:

Search multiple fields (up to four)
Limit your search to certain collections
Browse an index for search terms

Important note: In Advanced Search, the default is to only search for images from a single organization (currently Musser Public Library). To search for images from another organization or multiple organizations, before your search you must, click “Select Collection” from the menu bar below the search boxes. This will bring you to another page where you can choose the collections to search. Click “OK”, and you will go back to the Advanced Search page.

• Search Multiple Fields
  The Advanced Search feature is on the left side of the screen. To search multiple fields simultaneously, choose the field names to search from the drop-down menu boxes and enter search terms in the empty boxes. Click “Search” from the menu bar below the search boxes.
  
  If the results are not satisfactory, try searching fewer fields or try adding the “*” as a wildcard character to the end of your keywords. A search of “boat*” will retrieve terms like ‘boats’ and ‘boating’.
  
  You may also search for a phrase by using quotes around your search terms, for example “Mississippi River”.
  
• Browsing the index for search terms
  When searching for images in a single collection, you may browse for index terms use the boxes on the right side of the screen. In the drop-down menu box, choose a field to browse a list of indexed terms. The list will appear in the box below. Scroll through the list to find a search term. Double click the term, and it will automatically load into the Advanced Search box on the left. Click “Search” from the menu bar below the search boxes. You may choose terms from up to four fields by repeating the process.
  
  Please note: browsing the index is not available when searching two or more collections.