Advanced Search Help

(examples use keywords italian opera unless otherwise specified)

Keyword(s):

  • At least one keyword is required.
  • The total number of characters cannot exceed 30.
  • Valid characters:
    • A − z
    • 0 − 9
    • single quote / apostrophe ( ‘ )
    • double quote ( ” )
    • forward slash ( / )
    • comma ( , )
    • period ( . )
  • Accented characters (e.g. á, è, ö, etc.) are allowed.
    The accents are removed automatically during the search to provide compatibility
    (e.g. á becomes a,
    è becomes e,
    ö becomes o).
  • Invalid characters are removed automatically (e.g. the godfather – part II becomes
    the godfather part II).
    Note: ALL words/characters beginning with < or surrounded by < >
    are removed instead of only the invalid characters (e.g. <italian & opera becomes
    opera instead of italian opera;
    <italian & opera> becomes blank instead of italian opera).
  • Searches are NOT case sensitive (e.g. piano = Piano = PIANO).

Match Any Word:

Searches for italian OR opera and returns a result if either word is found.

Match All Words:

Searches for italian AND opera and returns a result if both words are found, even if they’re not paired together.
Searching for keywords opera italian returns the same result with this option.

Match Exact Phrase:

Searches for italian opera and only returns a result if an exact match is found.
Searching for keywords opera italian does NOT return the same result with this option.

Reset

  • Clears any error messages and resets the search form to its default values.
    Note: This also clears any previous search results.
  • Default search form values:
    • Search in: All Categories
    • Keyword(s): <blank>
    • Match: All Words

If you're getting too few results:

  • Try broadening your search using a different Match option
    “Match Any Word” is the least restrictive; “Match Exact Phrase” is the most restrictive
  • Check your spelling
  • Check that your keyword(s) didn’t change in meaning after invalid characters were removed
  • Try searching without punctuation characters
  • Try searching with fewer keywords if you need to use the “Match All Words” or “Match Exact Phrase” options
  • Try searching for dates without any other keywords (e.g. 1972
    instead of the godfather 1972), or use the “Match Any Word” option
  • If you’ve tried all of the above and still can’t find what you’re looking for, try “Browse by Category” instead

If you're getting too many results:

  • Try narrowing your search using a different Match option
    “Match Any Word” is the least restrictive; “Match Exact Phrase” is the most restrictive
  • Avoid using common words (e.g. and, of, the, etc.) with the “Match Any Word” option
  • Check that your keyword(s) didn’t change in meaning after invalid characters were removed