Keyword Searching in the Cornell Library Catalog
When to Search by Keyword ~ How to Search by Keyword
Combining Words and Concepts ~ Complex Searches
WHAT IS KEYWORD SEARCHING?
Keyword searching is a powerful and flexible way to find books, periodicals, and other materials using the Cornell Library Catalog. A keyword search looks for any word or combination of words in the author, title, and subject fields of the catalog records.
WHEN TO SEARCH BY KEYWORD
- when you know some but not all the words in the title
- when you do not know the subject heading for your topic
- when you want to search by a word or phrase that is not a
subject heading: rust belt, movies
- when you want to combine two or more concepts, words, or phrases: poverty and cities, shakespeare and hamlet
HOW TO SEARCH BY KEYWORD
Type k= or k[space] followed by a word or combination of words and push the enter key. Examples:
k=gentrification [enter]
k=grimm and tales [enter]
COMBINING WORDS AND CONCEPTS USING KEYWORD
Keyword uses connectors to search for two or more words in specific ways. The five connectors are AND, OR, ADJ, SAME, and NOT.
AND specifies that both words must appear somewhere in the catalog record, thus NARROWING your search. Example: k=pollution and ozone [enter]
OR specifies that either word may appear in the record, thus BROADENING YOUR SEARCH. Example: k films or movies [enter]
ADJ specifies that the words must be adjacent and in the same order, thus guaranteeing that the words are searched AS A PHRASE. Example: k=child adj care [enter]
If you enter k=child care, without adj, the catalog assumes you typed k=child and care; this is a different, broader search than child adj care.
SAME specifies that the words must appear in the same field of the record, such as the title field or the subject field. Example: k=australia same travel finds items with the subject heading "Australia--Description and travel" and with the title Travel Guide to Australia. NOT excludes all records containing the word that follows NOT. Example: k=caribbean not cuba finds only the records that contain the word caribbean but not cuba. Using the NOT connector excludes all records containing cuba from the search results.
COMPLEX SEARCHES
Nested Searches:
You can combine several words and connectors in a single, complex search statement. Use parentheses to clarify your search statement. Be sure that for every left parenthesis you type a right parenthesis.
Examples:
k (king or queen) and scotland [enter] k=legal adj (costs or fees) [enter]
Searching Specific Fields and Formats:
You can limit your keyword search to specific fields and formats.
The fields are
- author (.au.) --- k=darwin.au.
- title (.ti.) --- k=beagle.ti.
- subject, Library of Congress Subject Headings only (.su.) --- k=shakespeare.su.
- date (.dt.) --- k=politics and 1991.dt.
- language (.lng.) --- k=poetry and jpn.lng. (Languages codes available at reference desks)
The formats are
- books (b.fmt.)
- computer files (d.fmt.)
- manuscripts and archives (u.fmt.)
- maps (p.fmt.)
- music (m.fmt.) --- sound recordings and sheet music
- serials (s.fmt.) --- recurring publications, periodicals
- visual materials (f.fmt.)
Example: k=marketing and f.fmt. retrieves videos and films about marketing
TRY KEYWORD SEARCHING IN THE CORNELL LIBRARY CATALOG
To open and search the Online Catalog now, click here. THEN:
- When the welcome screen appears, press return.
- The title screen appears for the Catalog. You are now ready to enter a search.
- To leave the Online Catalog, type stop and press return.
- Quit the telnet software or close the window, and you will then be back to this screen.
SEARCH HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS
If the computer responds NO ENTRIES FOUND, check for misspellings or typos in your search statement.
No matter how many records are found, the computer will only display the first 250 records when you are using keyword searching. If you retrieve a large number of records, try narrowing your search using the AND connector or search again using less common words.
You can review and edit your current search by typing r [enter]. If your search statement is too long to fit on one line, typing r [enter] will also add a second line for search statement entry.
Do not include punctuation marks within words (example: search don't as dont). Search hyphenated words as two words (boogie-woogie becomes boogie woogie).
Avoid searching common words or phrases (for example, journal or united states) because it will take a long time for the computer to process them. The computer will not search certain common words, called STOPWORDS, at all. For a list of these words, ask at a reference desk.
If you wish to search words with a variety of endings, use the question mark (?). For example, k=forest? retrieves forest, forestry, forests, etc. This is called truncation. Do not over-truncate a word; putting the ? too close to the word beginning yields too many or confusing results.
An online explanation of keyword searching is available by typing exp k[enter].
If you are not satisfied with your search results or want to learn more, ask at the reference desk. The reference staff will consult with you and suggest other ways of finding what you need. A more detailed handout is available that explains specialized features of keyword searching, such as truncation, additional connectors, and limiting by language, format, or field.
Keyword searches usually take more computer resources to execute, so they often take longer than author, title, or subject searches.
For more information, see KEYWORD SEARCHING IN THE ONLINE CATALOG, a four-page handout available at reference desks.
Question? Ask a Librarian
Revised September 4, 1997
Kathy Robinson, Michael Engle and Tony Cosgrave
Olin and Uris Libraries, Cornell University, Ithaca
NY 14853
Information and reference: 607-255-4144, okuref@cornell.edu
Circulation: (Olin) 607-255-4245, (Uris) 607-255-3537, okucirc@cornell.edu