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Find It @ USC Libraries Staff Training

Advanced Search

Key Takeaways, use Advanced Search if you:

want to use at least one AND and an OR in a search (don't have to explain nesting)

need to search some words or phrases in particular parts of the record (but be mindful when searching a scope that includes non-catalog content that the metadata may not have subject fields, etc)

 

 

Scopes/Search Profiles (Books, Articles and More etc.) appear at the top of the search form with radio buttons

A library decides what fields are displayed

You can also specify how you want the terms searched:

  • contains – Returns results that contain all words in the phrase, but the words may be in a different order and may not be as close together.
  • contains exact phrase – Returns results that contain phrases that exactly match the phrases specified in the query.

  • starts with – Returns results that start with the specified string. Can only be applied to title and call number fields.

Notice the other options for limiting your search ahead of time (Material Type, Language, Date)


You do not need to use parenthesis to nest terms in Advanced Search. OR the terms on the same box/line in Advanced Search.  Operators must be in upper case to act as operators in Advanced or Simple Search.

Perform Advanced Searches in Primo VE (Ex Libris Knowledge Center)


 

Call Number field in Advanced Search

Don’t confuse this with the Browse > Call number searches.  Having it as a field in Advanced Search allows you to combine it as an element in a keyword search, but if you only want to search by call number the Browse search is your best option.

One field label, but works with LC, Dewey, SuDoc . . . any of our call numbers.  The default label was “Holding Call Number” which we changed to “Call Number.”

It’s a search option that works mainly with physical items (you may find a few ebooks), but could give a knowledgeable person another way to narrow search results.

see an example search    

                Any field       contains      artisan*

AND   Call number    starts with E

Because it searches all types, we also find an ED microfiche.

We’ve given The great Southwest of the Fred Harvey Company and the Santa Fe Railway a call number that starts with G, but Furman’s copy is cataloged E99.P9 G73 1996 (also a part of the record).   It’s the same reason why “southern ghosts” Roberts AND call number starts with BF pulls up South Caroliniana books that have Dewey call numbers. Embrace the art of cataloging and systems retrieval!

You may have noticed some call numbers have a space after the initial E.  Space can matter in using this call number field in Advanced Search.  If you want to add more to a call number beyond the initial letter/s, you’ll need to account for spacing.  Searching E 184 and E184 will yield different results.

Now for some fun, change the E to N, how about T, get more specific with TX.