ALEPH Search Types
Searching
When to Use Browse Searches
Browse searching is like scanning the names in a telephone book. All of the people with the same
last name are together. Browse searching is the quickest way to find what you are looking for if:
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You know
You know
You know
You know
numbers
the exact title or the beginning of the title
at least the author's last name and first initial
an exact subject heading and want to find works on that topic
the call number of a work and want to find other works with similar
Note: On the Basic search page, browse searches include "Author (last name first)" and the "...
begins with" searches.
Sample Browse searches
If you're looking
for...
Search type to use
Search text
Works by a specific
author
Basic Search: Author (Last Shakespeare, W (you can omit part
name first)
of the first name)
Twain Mark (you can omit punctuation)
A specific work where
you know the title
Basic Search: Title begins
with...
gone with the wind (You don't
have to capitalize.)
room with a view (Omit initial
articles. Title: A room with a view)
A journal or newspaper
wall street journal
Periodicals search,
Periodical title begins
with...
When to Use Keyword Searches
Keyword searching lets you search for words in any part of the record. It can be a powerful
finding tool when you know characteristics of the information you are looking for, but not the
exact author, title, or subject.
For instance:
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You are looking for a topic, but don't know the exact subject heading
You are looking for a specific work and know the topic but not the exact title
You are looking for a specific work and know the author's last name and what it is
about
You know the last names of two or more authors or editors of a work
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ALEPH Search Types
Sample Keyword searches
If you're looking
for...
Search type
to use
Search text
Words that could be in Basic Search:
any part of the record Keyword
(title, author, subject, Anywhere
...)
cats dogs (both cats and dogs will be in the record;
Words in title, but
you're not sure of the
exact title
Basic Search:
Title Keyword
supernatural victorian (You don't have to
You're not sure of the
exact name of the
author
Basic search:
Author
Keyword
same as searching "cats and dogs")
sigmund freud dreams
capitalize.)
peloponnesian history
conference ieee bioinformatics
Advanced Searching
The advanced search page lets you do more focused searches. You can search on several fields
at once. You can also limit searches by format, language, location, year of publication, and by
how recently an item was cataloged (last 7, 30 or 90 days).
Command searches
Command Search (also known as Common Command Language or CCL) is the most powerful
search. It lets you search several different fields at once, including coded data not searchable
any other way. You must specify a command code in addition to your search words. Some of the
most common command codes:
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WRD - words anywhere
WTI - words in title field
WAU - words in author field
WNO - words in note field including contents notes and dissertation note
WPU - words in publisher field
WSU - words in subject field
WYR - year of publication
Example: WNO=Notre Dame
will search for Notre Dame in the notes field of the bibliographic record. This would include:
reproduction notes, content notes, dissertation notes and others.
Complete list` of Command search codes with examples (and lists of values where applicable).
Sample Command searches
If you're looking for...
DVDs of films in Russian
Irish language newspapers not on
microfilm
sound recordings of Glenn Gould
Search text
WNO=DVD and WLN=rus
WTP=newspaper and WLN=gle not
WSL=micro
WMP=glenn gould and WRD=harpsichord
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ALEPH Search Types
performing on the harpsichord
Subsets of the catalog
The tabs across the top of the catalog screen represent subsets of the catalog. Subsets have full
search functionality, restricted to a part of the catalog:
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Full catalog - search the entire ND Libraries Catalog
Periodicals - search for journals, magazines, serials and newspapers
E-Resources - search for resources accessed via computer, including journals,
books, databases, and government documents
Reserves - search for items on both print and e-reserves
More - search for Bible, Catholic Church, Data sets, Music and Sound recordings
and more
Tips for constructing searches
For words adjacent or phrase searching use quotation marks around phrase:
Example: "new york" or "civil war"
The * character (asterisk) acts as a wildcard and can be placed at the left, right or middle of a
portion of a word.
Example: africa* fiction (finds "Africa," "African," etc. and "fiction")
Example: colo*r (finds "color" or "colour")
Example: wom*n (finds "woman" or "women")
Boolean searches let you broaden or narrow searches. You can do Boolean searching on the
basic, advanced, and Command search pages. The three Boolean search operations the catalog
supports:
A search for media and perception will locate
records containing both the word media and the
word perception.
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ALEPH Search Types
A search for women or woman will locate all
records containing either word.
A search for media not television will locate
records containing the word media but not the
word television.
Proximity
Any order george %2 bush finds "George Bush,"
"George W. Bush," "Bush, George," but not
"George cut down the bush."
Fixed order george !2 bush finds "George Bush"
and "George W. Bush" but not "Bush, George"
Range
wyr = ( 1503 -> 1512 ) finds books published
between 1503 and 1512
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