Set search options

You can set any combination of options to focus a search before you start it, and set how many titles you want to see on each search results page. Follow these steps to set search options for focusing a search.

1. Select a search method (for example, Keyword) from the Search submenu.

Note:
Search options are not available for quick searches or when you browse the catalog.

2. Select Open Search Options to display the search options. You may need to scroll the page to see all the options.

Tip:
To select several consecutive items in a list, hold down the SHIFT key as you select the items. To select several items that are not listed together, hold down the CTRL key as you select the items.

3. To specify a library site or sites to search, scroll the Libraries list, if necessary, and select a library site.

4. To specify publication dates for limiting your search, scroll the Publication Dates list, if necessary, and select a date or range of dates.

Tip:
You can exclude items from a search. Select them from the appropriate list, and click the Exclude check box below the list.

5. To specify detailed material types for limiting your search, scroll the Detailed Material Type list, if necessary, and select a material type.

Important:
Detailed material types are defined by the library for the physical items the library owns. The formats in the Limit by box on the search bar refer to general formats and types of materials associated with title entries in the catalog. You can limit a search by format or detailed material type, but not both. If you selected a format in the Limit by box when you set up your search, your format choice is canceled when you set a material type.

6. To specify a target audience or audiences for limiting your search, scroll the Target Audiences list, if necessary, and select a target audience.

7. To specify a collection or collections for limiting your search, scroll the Collections list, if necessary, and select a collection.

8. To specify a language or languages for limiting your search, scroll the Languages list, if necessary, and select a language.

9. To set the number of titles that appear on each search results page, select a number in the Display results per page list. Lower numbers are displayed on each page more quickly, but the search results consist of more pages. Higher numbers take more time to be displayed.

10. Click Set Search Options.

The search bar displays a highlighted message that options have been set.

11. Type the text to search for. For tips, see Search for a keyword.

12. Click the Search by arrow symbol, and select a search field from the list.

13. Click Go.

When the search is finished, the results list is displayed.

14. To change search options, follow these steps:

a) Click the Change link in the highlighted Options have been set message.

The search options open.

b) Set new values and click Set Search Options. Then do a new search.

15. To reset the search options to their default values, click the Reset link in the highlighted Options have been set message.

The options are reset. The search is done again, using the default values.

Important:
Search options retain their settings until you reset them to the default values or go to the home page. The highlighted message Options have been set on the search bar indicates that search options are set to values different from the default values.

Related Information

You can also narrow your search results after you do the search. See Narrow your search results.