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Return to Search page
With the Quick Search feature, you may quickly launch almost any kind of search in MOSL's collection. Select a type of search from the "Search by" menu list.
If you are not familiar with the catalog, we suggest you look below the QuickSearch box and choose the link for an individual type of search (e.g. author, title, etc.). For each type of search, you will find search advice and examples to help you with your research.
Here are some ways that you can decrease the number of items you retrieve:
- Do a Subject search instead of a keyword search. LC (Library of Congress) Subject searches match to a standardized thesaurus of terms and do not search other fields, such as author, note, etc. Medical and Children's subject searches also can be used to search for specialized materials. Contact your librarian for assistance in choosing appropriate subject headings for your search.
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Do a Title search instead of a keyword search. Sometimes you can find a handful of books with titles that begin with your topic, e.g. Management. As an alternative, you can type t: in front of a word to search for that word in the title of a work. This should also produce fewer results than a keyword search.
Example: t:France (finds materials with the word France anywhere in the title)
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Use the word AND to do a keyword search on more than one concept. The computer will look for items that mention both terms.
Example: television and children
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Use the word NOT to omit certain keywords. The computer will look for items that mention the first term but omit any items that mention the second term after the NOT.
Example: South America not Brazil
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When viewing a record for an item you retrieved, check the "Subjects" field to find more specific headings/terms. Scroll down through the record for an item you retrieved until you see the Subject area. This is a good technique for finding other relevant search terms.
A search on training, for example, will yield books on the narrower subjects given below:
Employees--Training of
Teams in the workplace
- Use the Limit/Sort button to narrow to a particular publication year or years, material type, language, etc. For example, you can have the computer rerun a search on World War II but limit the results to videotapes on the topic.
Here are some ways that you can increase the number of items you retrieve:
- Do a Keyword search instead of a LC Subject, Medical Subject or Children's Subject search. A keyword search covers more fields, such as title, notes, etc.
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Use the word OR to search on variations of a concept. To give the computer more choices, use OR to link two words with the same meaning, either of which would satisfy your needs.
Example: Amazon or Amazon.com
Greek or Latin
- Use an asterisk * to truncate endings of words. Have the computer search for variations of a word by adding an asterisk. For example, to search for either training or trainers or train, type:
train*
Here are some suggestions if your search gets zero results:
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Check your spelling. Unfortunately, the computer won't do this for you. You can use an asterisk * if you know at least part of a word.
Example: Dostoevsk* (will find Dostoevsky or Dostoevskii)
If you want the computer to fill in more than 5 letters, use two asterisks:
Example: totalit** (for a search on totalitarianism)
- Do a keyword search. This is the broadest, most general type of search you can do.
- Make sure you are doing the correct type of search. Trying to search for an author in the journal name field usually won't work. Check that you have selected the correct type of search.
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Do a simple search on fewer keywords. Try simplifying your search by reducing the number of words you are stringing together with the word AND. For example, instead of personnel and training and computer-assisted instruction and evaluation, try the following:
computer-assisted instruction and evaluation
training and computer-assisted instruction
- Try the search in the entire MOBIUS catalog to see if another library/cluster has the materials you want. It's possible that your library or cluster just doesn't own the materials you need. Follow the link at the top of the screen to search the MOBIUS catalog or a catalog of another MOBIUS member or cluster.
Most of the material types are familiar ones, such as books, journals, maps, etc. Some of the other ones are:
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Thesis or Manuscript: Thesis includes master's theses and doctoral dissertations. Manuscripts may include authored works, correspondence and other documents related to an individual or group. Manuscripts are often kept in separate collections.
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Electronic Resource: A resource such as a cd-rom, online database, etc. As a rule, regular music cds are grouped under Audio, Music rather than Electronic Resource. Also, electronic books are grouped under the E-Book material type.
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Video: includes formats such as VHS, laserdisc, DVD, etc.
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Archival Material: Collections of documents, photographs, media, etc. that are the official records of an organization or institution. Archival materials are usually kept in separate collections.
When you mark records, you must press the "Save Marked Records" button at the bottom of each page. If you leave a page without pressing this button, your marks will disappear. Once you have saved your marked records, you will see a button in the button bar which allows you to Email/Save/Print your list.
- Do a search and have the search results on your screen.
- Place a check mark in the box called "Mark" beside each item you want.
- Press the Save Marked Records button at the bottom of the page.
- Continue to mark and save records on subsequent pages.
- When ready to retrieve your list, press the Email/Save/Print button on the button bar.
- The screen that appears will provide options for emailing or saving the list. You may also display it on your screen and print it out.
When you do a search and view the record for an item, you will see a box marked "Location". Here you will find the library or institution that owns the item and the location/collection of the item within the library.
If you are searching the comprehensive MOBIUS catalog, you will see listings for libraries in all of the clusters statewide. A list of MOBIUS libraries is available online.
"Library Use Only" materials are often reference books, rare books, archival documents, or other special materials that the owning library won't lend. Many of these items can be used by visiting the library that owns them. For rare books or archival materials, it's a good idea to call ahead to see if special arrangements need to be made. Often rare books and similar materials are kept in special collections which may have more restricted hours and access policies than the general library.
Once you have done a search, press the "Limit/Sort" button (if available) on the button bar across the top of the screen. Click in the "Sort results by year" box and press the "Limit/sort items" button below. Your search results will be redisplayed in publication date order. The date will be visible to the right of each item listed.
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