Database Scope	Searching
Browsing	Case Sensitivity
Truncation and Wildcards	Search Options

Database Scope

The Question and Answer Database allows you to search and browse answers to questions that are frequently asked in the University Libraries. Most questions and answers in the database are written in a way that will be helpful to many library users. Therefore, in using the database, you may need to think about how your specific question might searched or browsed more generally.

For example, the database probably won't be able to give an answer to a specific question like this:

Does the library have journal World Politics online?

But it will have records like the following that will enable you to answer that question:

How do I find out which electronic journals the University Libraries subscribes to?

How do I connect to electronic journals remotely (that is, from home or work)?

Searching

When you do a search, your keywords are matched against the full text of all records in the database. This means that your keywords will be used to search for matching words in the text of both "Question" and "Answer" portions of database records.

Browsing

Browsing the alphabetic list of categories is a good approach if you're at a loss for keywords to search. When you select a category from the browse list, you will retrieve all records that have been assigned that category.

Case Sensitivity

The database is not case sensitive.

Examples:

mncat will retrieve records containing the word MNCAT

minneapolis will retrieve records containing the word Minneapolis

Truncation and Wildcards

Truncation is automatic, meaning that you don't need to use any wildcard symbols

Examples:

comput will retrieve records containing the words:

compute, computer, computers, computing, etc.

Left hand truncation is also in effect and automatic.

Example:

library will also retrieve records containing the word interlibrary

Search Options

The search option any of the words will retrieve records that contain any one or more of your keywords.

Example using the search option any of the words :

Keywords journals periodicals will retrieve records that contain either or both of the words journals and periodicals.

The search option all of the words will retrieve records that contain one or more of your keywords.

Example using the search option all of the words:

Keywords remote access MNCAT will retrieve only records that contain all of these words - remote, access, and MNCAT.

The search option phrase will retrieve records that contain one or more words in the exact order entered.

Example using the search option phrase:

The keyword phrase electronic journals will retrieve only records that contain the words electronic and journals in that order and with no words between them. Such a phrase search would retrieve a record like:

How do I connect to electronic journals remotely (that is, from home or work)?