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The Different Search Tabs

General note: No matter what type of search you use, it is not necessary to worry about capitalization or punctuation. You do need to put a space between separate words.

BASIC KEYWORD - This is the simplest and quickest kind of search. You can search any combination of words from the title, author’s name, or subject words. You don't need to add AND between words and phrases-- the system adds this automatically.

AUTHOR - Do an author search when you know who the writer of the book is, or if you want to get a list of all the books by an author. Type the last name first. An author search will also find illustrators, co-authors, movie actors, performers, or organizations responsible for creating a work.

TITLE - Do a title search when you are sure of the title, or at least the beginning of it. Type as much of the title as you know. If multiple listings are found, it’s because they are different editions of the title, such as the large print or audio version.

SUBJECT - A subject search is based on the official terminology used by the Library of Congress to organize books on the same topic under the same heading. If you are not familiar with how subject headings work, or don’t find what you want, you may have better luck with a KEYWORD search, which searches all the parts of a catalog entry.

ADVANCED KEYWORD - This works like the basic keyword search, but also allows you to limit your search based on several criteria. You can choose one or more of the following:

• Location - Limits your results to a particular library or branch, or even to only adult or children’s materials.
• Material Type – Limits your results to a specific format, for example, only videos, or only large print books.
• Language – Limits your results to those that are in a particular foreign language.
• Year – Limits your results to those before or after a certain publication date. Search and sort – Results will automatically be listed by date, with the most recent ones first. You can change the display to alphabetical order by title, or by relevance.

OTHER LIBRARIES – This tab has links to the online catalogs of neighboring library systems, and to the statewide catalog. You can use your local library card at any other public library and many colleges to check out materials. You can also have materials delivered on interlibrary loan for pickup at your local library. Ask your local librarian for details.