IDE Library
Search Books and Journals
Effective Search Material
The most effective ways to obtain desired results is to improve the efficiency with which you query the OPAC database. These are some guidelines to follow which will improve the quality of searches.
Basic Search
Free word:
Type in keywords from the title or topics. A free word search is especially useful if you do not know the exact wording of a title, or want to find works on a specific theme.Title:
You do not have to type the whole title. Upper or lower cases do not matter.Subject headings : (refer to Subject Headings )
The IDE subject headings include the following: 1) general subject, 2) place name, 3) individual name /group name, and 4) event name. It is effective to use a combination of general subject headings and region subject headings.Area code : (refer to Area Code )
Use the area code to limit or extend your search to particular regions, especially in combination with the subject headings.Classification: (refer to Classification )
A classification number is a series of letters and numbers that are assigned to each publication according to its main subject. The Classification table is available on the search screen.
Extending and Limiting a Search
Filtering:
If you retrieve too many results in a browse list, you can limit your search results by editing the title, name of author/publisher, and year of publication.Narrowing:
Entering two or more words in a search box will result in works containing ALL the words.Example: economics (space) agriculture
Broadening:
Entering two or more words separated by "+" will results in works containing ANY of the words.Example: economics + agriculture
Truncating:
Using "*" as a wildcard can enhance your search.E xample: politic* → politic, politician, politicians, etc.
Example: "wom*n" → women, woman, etc.
Exact matching:
If you insert "#" immediately before the search terms, the search will match those terms exactly.
