Tips on Searching the Online Catalog for Frank G. Rankin Civil War Collection Materials

Return to Frank G. Rankin Collection Page || Go to Library's Catalog

There are several ways to search the Library's catalog for Rankin Collection materials, here are a few basic tips.

From the "Simple Search" menu:

    Example: to browse materials in the collection

        -type in Find this:  frank g rankin civil war collection
        -choose in Find results in:  Left Anchored Title¹
        -you can opt to display more records per page by using the drop down menu box in the lower left corner
        -you can Set More Limits by clicking on the option in the lower right hand corner.
        -click Search button.

    Your results will be sorted according to relevance criteria determined by the system's software.
    You can sort the results again by author, date, etc.

    Of course if you are looking for a particular author or work this will narrow the search even more. See the
    choices in the Find results in: drop down menu.

By choosing the "Advanced Search" tab selection you will find more options and ways to search.

    Example: looking for materials on the subject of Slavery in the collection

        -type in Search for: frank g rankin civil war collection  (choose) as a phrase  (choose) Search in: Title
        -select the Boolean search radio button   =AND
        -type in Search for: slavery  [choose] as a phrase  choose in Search in: Subject
        -you can opt to display more records per page by using the drop down menu box in the lower left corner
        -you can Set More Limits by clicking on the option in the lower right hand corner.
        -click Search button

    Example: looking for materials 'authored' by Robert E. Lee

        -type in Search for: frank g rankin civil war collection  (choose) as a phrase  choose Search in: Title
        -select the Boolean search radio button   =AND
        -type in Search for: lee, robert e  (choose)  as a phrase  (choose) Search in: Author Name
        -you can opt to display more records per page by using the drop down menu box in the lower left corner
        -you can Set More Limits by clicking on the option in the lower right hand corner.
        -click Search button

    Example: looking for materials 'about' Robert E. Lee

        -use the same pattern as above, except in the second search set use:
          type in Search for: lee, robert e  (choose)  as a phrase  (choose) Search in: Subject
                                                                                                       or Search in: Subject: Personal Name

Experiment with the different search options and see what they do to the results.

¹Left anchored title is more exact than choosing Title. The choices and limits you make will expand or reduce the results.

Return to Frank G. Rankin Collection Page || Go to Library's Catalog