Searching Dialog: Use Expand to Look at Authority Files

Scope

• When searching databases, you need to know the standard terms, author names, or company names for the subjects for which you are seeking information.
• This can be difficult because different databases, different authors, and different publications may use varying terms for the same subject.
• Examples:

  Is William Faulkner: Faulkner, William Faulkner, Bill Faulkner, William F. Faulkner, Willy Faulkner, William Z.

  Is Apple Computer: Apple Computer Co. Apple Apple Computer Inc. Apple Computer Corp. Apple Corp.

Solution

• Dialog databases provide an expand command that enables you to look at an alphabetical list of terms such as authors or company names.
• Important: The ONLY fields that expand can be used with are ones that are "phrase" indexed.
• This depends upon the particular database:
  • Look at the Bluesheet for that database to be sure.
  • Common phrase-indexed fields are:
    • Author (au=)
    • Company Name (co=)

Format

Function/ Command	Format	Examples, Notes
expand	Author: expand <lastname, firstname, initial>	expand au=hemmingway, e
	Company: expand <company name>	expand co=apple computer

Using Expand

• When you expand a term you get a list as follows:
  • Author example:
    • expand au= hemingway, e.

      results in:

      Ref	Items		Index-term
      E1	1		AU=HEMINGWAY, DANIEL X.
      E2	6		AU=HEMINGWAY, DODIE
      E3	4	*	AU=HEMINGWAY, E.
      E4	233		AU=HEMINGWAY,EARL
      E5	56		AU=HEMINGWAY, ERNEST
      E6	7		AU=HEMINGWAY, ERNEST M.
      E7	106		AU=HEMINGWAY, ERNIE

• You can now use select to search on the expand sets (En) that have been generated.
  • Examples:
    • s e5

      results in:

      S5

      56

      AU=HEMINGWAY, ERNEST

    • s e3 or e5:e7

      results in:

      S6

      170

      AU=HEMINGWAY, E. OR AU=HEMINGWAY, ERNEST:AU=HEMINGWAY, ERNIE

• These sets can be combined with other search terms as you desire.

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