How to search the database

1. Basic Search

Pressing the Search button will automatically bring up the Basic Search screen

Enter your search word or phrase in the centre box

The word or phrase you have entered will appear in bold type in the records retrieved

You have the option to display your record in brief or full details

Example 1: Personal Name search on Betty Boothroyd will locate an entry from the Betty Bootroyd Collection of the Open University. You could also locate the same record using the word Betty alone or Boothroyd alone

Example 2: The word search Images bring up the Kitchener Images Collection of the City Discovery Centre

Example 3: Place name search on Buckingham will bring up records containing the word Buckingham and will be linked to the University of Buckingham and the Critical Forum Archives

Example 4: A subject search for Sports science will locate two entries on De Montfort University and Milton Keynes College

Example 5: A corporate name search for NHS Trust locates the record on the Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Trust

Example 6: Time search on 1960’s will locate the record on Open University Historical Materials

2. Advanced Search

A. You may wish to try more detailed searching using the Advanced Search screen. This allows you to combine search terms in the Title, Description, Subject, Star item, Name, Place and Time fields

Example: You may combine the Title: Open University, with Description: tv programmes, and Subject: Computer Science. The search result is the Open University course material on computer science

B. You could also search on each of the fields, without combining them

Example: Searching on 1970s would bring up records whose associated times of collection include that year

C. Alternatively you can search by specific category (Subject, Of Interest To, Language, Personal Name, Corporate Name, Place, Time) by selecting a term from the drop down lists

Example: Subject search on Psychiatry will locate all collections that hold books and other materials on the subject

D. It is also posible to search on any two of the drop down menus when looking for a precise information

Example: Combining a search on Social work in the Subject drop down menu with De Montfort University Library in the Corporate Name drop down menu indicates the availability of the subject in the stock of the particular library