Help - Search Screen
Help - Index
The search screen is the default screen after logging into Libraries Australia. Libraries are able to specify for each of their user accounts a different default search screen to appear when the user logs on (Search, Advanced Search or Command Search). If a library wants to change the default search screen, they need to contact the Libraries Australia Help Desk.
In the top right-hand corner of the search screen, you will find the Help Menu tab. This provides general information on Libraries Australia such as contact details, advice on logging-in and out, an online help guide and information on the Libraries Australia service. The Help Menu tab is located on every screen of Libraries Australia Search. By clicking on this tab you will be taken to help relating to the page you are viewing.
Above the search box you will find the Navigational Toolbar. The Navigational Toolbar will display on all subsequent screens, and provides a means of accessing frequently used functions. The Navigational Toolbar options includes Advanced Search, Command Search, Browse Terms, Search History, Saved Records, Saved Queries, Alerts, and Help.
On the left-hand side of the search box, under the title Links, is a list of useful links that will allow you to connect to specific areas of information, such as Australian History and Australian Literature. There is also a link that will enable you to add a Libraries Australia Search Box to your website and search from there.
On the right-hand side of the search box, is a Library Profile section. This section provides a profile of a library that contributes to the National Bibliographic Database and is changed on a regular basis.
Searching tips
The search screen of Libraries Australia also acts as a simple search screen. The search box, located in the middle of the search screen, allows for simple searching, ie a single search query. The functions of the search screen are similar to those used on search engines such as Google. For example:
- you can search in both upper and lowercase
- you can search a phrase by inserting inverted commas around the phrase, eg "Jane Austen", or "wind in the willows", and only records containing that exact phrase will be retrieved
- you can use the ? symbol immediately after a word stem, or after an initial in a name, to retrieve words beginning with that word stem, or initial. For example: when searching a word stem, if you search: child? you will retrieve both the word "child" and words with the stem "child" such as: child, children, childhood etc. When an author has used both his full name and initials on different publications, you can use the ? symbol to find all his works; remember also to search for his name as a phrase, eg "Lee L?".
- you can use the ~ symbol to search for synonyms, eg.if you search
for: ~car you will retrieve not only records which contain the word:
car but also records with: auto, automobile etc. This feature can allow
a wider search without your needing to type in a number of synonyms
in your search query.
The dictionary of synonyms that Libraries Australia uses when ~ is placed before a search term is the Wordnet database produced by Princeton University (http://wordnet.princeton.edu/).
Use the synonym symbol (~) before typing in a word to retrieve words with the same meaning, but different spellings. eg. ~colour will retreive items with the word color, as well as items with the word colour in the record. - you can use the # symbol as a wildcard, eg organi#ation will retrieve both "organisation" and "organization" and nurs### review will retrieve "nursing review" . This feature is useful if you are not sure of the spelling of a word or an exact title or subject heading.
To search terms such as Dewey Classification, ISBN, ISSN etc, use Advanced Search and for more complex searches use the Command Search option.
Boolean Operators
The simple search screen also uses Boolean operators. See the Boolean Help page for more information.
Limit to:
The Libraries Australia search screen enables you to limit your search by material group type by allowing you to tick one or more of the checkboxes located under the search box. For example, if you type in "Edmund Barton" as a phrase in the search box and also tick the Oral Histories check box, your results will relate to oral history recordings on or about Edmund Barton. More information on this area can be found at Check Box Filters.
To search other, non default databases
When you search Libraries Australia, you are searching a number of different databases simultaneously. Links to the databases you are searching in (ie, the default databases) are located at the bottom left-hand side of the search screen under the title "Searching In". When you log in, Libraries Australia defaults to Australian Library Collections (Australian National Bibliographic Database).
If you want to change searching via the default databases you will need to click on the Select Databases button. The Select Database screen provides you with a list of databases by which you can search.
Error Messages