Searching SIRSI Unicorn WebCat: Search Limits

Define

• You can limit or narrow or "qualify" your search by adding any of a variety of Search Limits to your search terms.
• The Search Limits are a series of pull-down menus below the main space on the Complex Search Web page that enable the searcher to place a number of limits on a search.
• The Search Limits pull-downs also appear when you receive a large number of results to a search.
• The function of the Search Limits are to enable the targeting of the search so that the results more close match the searcher's specific information needs or desires (precision).

Usage

• To use a Search Limit, use the mouse to click on and, holding down the mouse button, pull down the menu to the item you want to choose. Release the mouse button.

Appearance

Search Limits

pubyear:
language:			format:
itemtype:			location:
item cat1:			item cat2:
match on:
sort by:

Using the Search Options

LINKS TO SEARCH OPTIONS BELOW
SORT BY	PUBYEAR	LANGUAGE
LOCATION	ITEM TYPE	MATCH ON
FORMAT	ITEM CATEGORY 1	ITEM CATEGORY 2

• Sort by:
  • You have five choices to sort the output:

    ANY	The most recently added material appears first regardless of publication date
    AU	Alphabetical by author
    TI	Alphabetical by title
    SU	Alphabetical by first subject listed
    PBYR	By publication date, with earliest date first
    -PBYR	By publication date, with most recent date first

    Note: Searches retrieving over 3,000 items will not be sorted.

• Pubyear:
  • The publication year is that year in which the material is published.
  • You have several ways of entering publication years, most of which use Relational Symbols.

    A single year	Type in the year: 1998
    A range of years	Type in the years separated by a hyphen "-": 1941-1945
    Before a certain year	Type in the year preceded by a less-than symbol "<": <1900
    before or in a certain year	Type in the year preceded by a less-than and equal symbols "<=": <=1900
    after	Type in the year preceded by a greater-than symbol "<": <1960
    after or in a certain year	Type in the year preceded by a greater-than and equal symbols ">=": >=1960

• Language:
  • Use this to limit the search for items that that are in, include material in, or are translations of material in a specific language. Use the pull-down menu to see a list of all languages potentiall available in a Unicorn catalog.
  • The list in the pull-down language menu may have languages on it for which there are no materials in the library.
  • The default any retrieves all matches regardless of language.
• Location:
  • This pull-down menu enables you to limit your search by the location of the item in the specific library. Most of the locations in the menu are not implemented.
  • The default any retrieves all matches regardless of their location in the library.
  • Use this feature with caution because if the items you seek are not in the location you select, you will wind up with no results.
  • Some institutions with multiple locations and/or libraries use this field to specify the site and/or library.
• Item Type:
  • This pull-down menu is useful when you are looking for a certain, usually physical type of item. For example, when looking for the video of "Old Man and the Sea," select video.
  • The default any retrieves all types of items.
  • Common types of items include: book, periodical, reference, video,
  • Use item types other than any with caution. You must be sure that the specific item type exists within the library. The pull-down menu has many item types that are not used in the catalog.
• Match on:
  • You can select to match on the full word (keyword) with various endings, the partial word, or the exact word as entered.
  • The default is keyword.
• Format:
  • Format: is similar to Item Type but often specifices the underlying standard (Unicorn, MARC).
  • The default any retrieves all types of items.
  • Other common formats include: vm (video media), music, serial.
  • Use formats other than any with caution. You must be sure that the specific format has been used in the catalog. The pull-down menu has many format types that are not used in the catalog.
• Item Category1:
  • This item is not implemented.
• Item Category2:
  • This item is not implemented.  

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