PRISM's Qualifiers (Limiting Functions)

Scope

• Qualifiers are ways of further limiting searches by:
  • Date
  • Format/Type of material
  • Microform
  • Source/Cataloging Source.
• These are usually preceded by a slash ( / ) or the word and.
• Use only one (1) qualifer of each type per search.
• Keyword searches can only use Year ( yr ) and Format/Type ( ft ) of material qualifiers.
• Search Key Searches (see following) can use all 4 types of qualifiers.

Format/Type Qualifers

• These describe the type of materials
• Label: ft
• Qualifiers:

  bks	books
  com	computer files
  map	maps
  mix	mixed materials
  rec	sound recordings
  sco	scores (printed)
  ser	serials
  vis	visual materials

• Examples:
  • fin au hemingway and ft bks
  • fin au hemingway/bks

Microform/Form of Item Qualifers

• These specify whether something should be in microform not not microform.
• Label: mi
• Qualifiers: mf (microform), nm (not microform), any
• Examples:
  • fin se star and se wars and mi mf
  • fin ti engineering/mf

Source, Cataloging Source Qualifers

• These indicate the desired source of the cataloging of the records sought. Useful for getting the definitive record for an item.
• Label: so
• Qualifiers: dlc (Library of Congress), any
• Examples:
  • fin ti dharma and ti bums and so dlc
  • fin ti dharma and ti bums/dlc

Dates/Years of Publication Qualifers

• Label: yr
• Qualifier entry format:
  • and yr <year or year range>
  • /<year or year range>
• Date entry format:
  • Year number coding: m=millenium, c=century, d=decade, y=year

Using multiple qualifiers

• Examples
  • fin au hemingway and ti sea/rec/195?
  • fin au hemingway and ti sea and ft rec and yr 195?
  • lon,da,jo,i/bks/-1955

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