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Guided Keyword Search - Help

What is a Guided Keyword search?

Use this method to search for catalog records using keywords located anywhere in a record, or only in specific fields (e.g., author, title, publisher, etc.). A Guided Keyword search is especially helpful when looking for specific items but do not know the initial words of a title or a person's complete name; or to create a precise search strategy, combining or excluding search words or phrases. Search limits are available for Guided Keyword searches.

The Guided Keyword search screen consists of three sets of the following selections:

Search for:
Search in:

* To see the contents of a drop-down menu in the screen above, select any "down-arrow" button.

Constructing Boolean Searches:
Use Boolean operators to combine search words or phrases using Guided Keyword.

Enter the search words or phrase in the box labeled Search for:. The order of the terms is only important if the option, As a Phrase, is selected from the next drop-down menu. Capitalization does not matter. Do not include punctuation. Special instructions are needed when using the following indexes: International Standard Numbers (KISN) and LC Control Number (LCCN).

Select one of the three options from the drop-down menu following the Search for: box:

any of these retrieves catalog records containing any (but not all) of the words entered (equivalent to the Boolean "OR" operator). Note: this may only be useful if the keywords used are synonyms, such as babies infants.
all of these retrieves catalog records containing all of the search words in any order (equivalent to the Boolean "AND" operator).
as a phrase retrieves catalog records matching the words entered as a phrase, in exact order, without intervening words.

Select an index name from the drop-down menu labeled Search in: (select Keyword Anywhere (GKEY) for the broadest possible search):
* For more information, consult the Guided Keyword: Indexes examples and explanations.

From the drop down menu following the Search in: box, select the operator that describes the relationship between the search words in the first Search for: box and the search words in the second Search for: box.

AND (All of these) narrows the search by combining multiple concepts. (e.g., mars AND mission)
OR (Any of these) broadens the search with related terms for each concept. (e.g., ten OR 10)
NOT (None of these) excludes terms from the search. (e.g., marketing NOT sales) Note: use caution when selecting this operator because it may inadvertently exclude more than expected.

Select the [ Search ] button to complete the search.

Select the [ Reset ] button to clear the search page.

Search Tips:

Set search limits before constructing the search.
Use ? at the end of a search word for truncation (e.g., observ? will search for observe, observed, observing, observation, etc.).
For best results, avoid using more than two Search For: boxes, especially when searching keywords with large retrievals or when using unlike operators (e.g., OR and AND).
Unless the OR operator (any of these) is desired within the Search for: box, be sure to select one of the alternatives (all of these; as a phrase).
The order of the index names in the drop down menu is based on usage, with the most used indexes appearing first. Changes in the order occur from time to time.

Alternative Search Options:
Use Command Keyword for more control when using Boolean Operators (including grouping with "parentheses") and Index Codes. For information on alternative search options, go to Help on Searching the LC Online Catalog.

Go to > Help Contents > Searching Overview > Guided Keyword Index Codes > New Search

Library of Congress

Comments: lcweb@loc.gov (10/26/99)