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Home >  NPS Voyager Libary Catalog Help > Basic Search

  

Basic Search

NPS Voyager offers two search modes: Basic Search and Builder Search. The advantage of the Basic Search page is that it provides, on a single page, the ability to conduct:

  • simple searches via Keyword options (Keyword Relevance, Title Keyword, Journal Title Keyword)
  • complex searches via Command Search With Relevance option
  • searches ranked by relevancy via Keyword Relevance Search and Command Search With Relevance
  • title scans via Left-Anchored Title option
  • publication date scans via the Left-Anchored Date option
  • scans of headings indexes via Browse options (Author, Call Number, Name Title, Subject)
  • limited searches (to a specific NPS library location) via the quick limits list

Note: limits do not apply to Heading (i.e., Browse) searches!

What's more, all of the options available on the Basic Search page are also available at the top of every results page (i.e., you can run a new search without having to go back to the Basic Search page).

The advantage of the Builder Search page is that it provides the ability for users without advanced search skills to build very complex searches. However, it does not provide the multitude of search types that the Basic Search page does. Nor does it have the quick limits option.

See the sections provided below for additional details on conducting the various types of searches available from the Basic search page.

Keyword
Heading
Left Anchored
Command
Selecting and Saving Search Results

  

Keyword

A Keyword search looks for a word (or words) located anywhere in a record, or in a particular field of the record, according to the particular keyword search option you select in the Search Type list. Results from a Keyword search are displayed in the Keyword Titles Index. The Keyword Titles Index displays the type of search, the title(s), and other information (as defined by your library).

A Keyword Relevance search on the word "computer" would return all titles in the catalog containing the word computer anywhere in their records. Results from Keyword Relevance searches are sorted by relevance rather than alphabetically by title, with the most relevant titles being listed at the top. However, you may change the sort order using the drop-down menu on the upper left hand side of the results page.

A Title Keyword search, on the other hand, would return only those titles in the catalog with the word computer in their titles. (A Journal Title Keyword search would return records for journals with the word computer in their titles.) These results are sorted alphabetically by title. However, you may change the sort order using the drop-down menu on the upper left hand side of the results page.

To perform a Keyword search:

  1. Type the word(s) you want to search for in the
    Search For box.
  2. Use the following punctuation, as needed:
    • enter a question mark (?) after a search term to
      indicate truncation: comp? retrieves all words
      that start with comp (e.g., comparison,
      computer, etc.)
    • enclose a phrase in quotation marks:
      "world wide web"
    • enter a plus sign (+) before a term to indicate an
      essential term: +internet
    • use an asterisk (*) before a term to indicate an
      important term: *explorer
    • Example: comp? "world wide web" +internet *explorer
  3. Select the type of Keyword search you want to perform in the Search Type list.
  4. You may select a Location limit from the quick limits list (Limit Search To drop-down menu) to limit the search to a particular NPS library.
  5. For a full range of limit options (including Location), click the Set Search Limits button and select as many limits as you need using the drop-down menus on the Limits page.
  6. Click on the drop-down menu to select the number of records you want to display on the results page.
  7. Click on the Search button to execute the search.
  8. Click the Reset button to clear the search page.
  9. If you set a limit using the quick limits list on the Basic search page, scroll up to None at the top of the list to clear this limit. If you set limits using the Limits page, click the Clear Search Limits button to clear these limits.
 

Heading

A Heading search performs a scan on the index for the particular heading you select in the Search Type box (Author Browse, Call Number Browse, Name Title Browse, or Subject Browse).

If you entered the search term poe:

  • selecting Subject Browse in the Search Type list might retrieve records that contained Edgar Allen Poe in the Subject field (i.e., titles about E.A. Poe)
  • selecting Author Browse in the Search Type list might retrieve records that contained Edgar Allen Poe in the Author field (i.e., titles by E.A. Poe)
  • selecting Name Title Browse in the Search Type list might retrieve records that contained Edgar Allen Poe in the Title field (i.e., headings containing E.A. Poe in the title), as well as in the Author field (i.e., titles by E.A. Poe)

Search results from an Author Browse, Subject Browse or Name Title Browse are displayed in the Headings Index. The Headings Index displays number of titles associated with each heading (in the Titles column) and the heading name (in the Headings column).

The results list begins with the first heading encountered in the index that starts with the term you entered in the Search For box. You may Browse up and down through the (alphabetically sorted) Headings Index, as needed. Results returned from a Call Number Browse are displayed in the Titles Index, which may also be browsed.

To perform a Heading search:

  1. Select the type of Heading (i.e., Browse) search you want to perform in the Search Type list.
  2. Type the word(s) that you want the heading to start with in the Search For box (do not include any punctuation).
  3. Note that you cannot apply Limits to Headings (i.e., Browse) searches.
  4. Click on the drop-down menu to set the number of records you want to display on a single results page.
  5. Click the Search button to begin the search.
  6. Click the Reset button to clear the search page.
  

Left Anchored

A Left Anchored search performs a scan on the field selected in the Search Type list and then returns records with contents in the field selected (either Title or Date) starting with the term(s) you entered to the Search For box. The results are displayed in the Titles Index. To perform a Left Anchored search:

  1. Select a Left Anchored option in the Search Type list.
  2. Enter term(s) you wish search results to start with in the Search For box.
  3. Truncation is implied (i.e., no ? needed, e.g., poe will return Poe, poem, poetry, etc.).
  4. You may select a Location limit from the quick limits list (Limit Search To drop-down menu) to limit the search to a particular NPS library.
  5. For a full range of limit options (including Location), click the Set Search Limits button and select as many limits as you need using the drop-down menus on the Limits page.
  6. Click on the drop-down menu to select the number of records you want to display on the results page.
  7. Click on the Search button to execute the search.
  8. Click the Reset button to clear the search page.
  9. If you set a limit using the quick limits list on the Basic search page, scroll up to None at the top of the list to clear this limit. If you set limits using the Limits page, click the Clear Search Limits button to clear these limits.
 

Command

A Command search finds records using command-line protocol. This is for expert users only. If you want to do a complex search and you do not have advanced search skills, click on the Builder tab to go to the Builder search page.

A Command search finds records that meets the criteria entered to the Search For box by the user (see details and examples below).

Results from a Command Search With Relevance are displayed in the Titles Index, but are sorted by relevance rather than by title, with the most relevant titles being listed first. However, you may change the sort order using the drop-down menu on the upper left hand side of the results page.

To perform a Command search:

  1. Type in the terms you want to search for using command-line protocol with Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) and parentheses.
    • For example, to find information about writing on the Internet, you might type: (internet OR web) AND (writing OR publishing)
    • Note that you must type Boolean operators in uppercase letters.
  2. Select Command Search With Relevance in the Search Type list.
  3. To narrow the search to a particular NPS library collection, you may select a Location limit from the quick limits list ("Limit Search To:" drop-down menu].
  4. For a full range of limit options (including Location), click the Set Search Limits button and select as many limits as you need using the drop-down menus on the Limits page.
  5. Click on the drop-down menu to select the number of records you want to display on the results page.
  6. Click on the Search button to execute the search.
  7. Click the Reset button to clear the search page.
  8. If you set a limit using the quick limits list on the Basic search page, scroll up to None at the top of the list to clear this limit. If you set limits using the Limits page, click the Clear Search Limits button to clear these limits.
 

Selecting and Saving Search Results

Results may be selected for saving (emailing, printing, or downloading a file) using the options provided in the Save Options box that appears on the bottom of every record display and results list page.

 

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