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Combine search terms, specify proximity, and use nesting

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Discover how to combine search terms, specify proximity, and use nesting when searching in Connexion client.

Guidelines for combining searches

  • Command Line Search area: Enter Boolean operators between search terms to combine them; and is optional; the system "ands" multiple words.
  • Keyword/Numeric Search area:
  • Enter multiple search terms in a Search for box to find records containing all of the terms anywhere in the record (the client "ands" the terms automatically).
  • Combine terms with or (to find records containing any of the terms) or not (to find records that exclude terms).
  • To combine search terms in different indexes, enter the search terms in separate Search for boxes, select an index for each from the index list, and select a Boolean operator from the list of operators.
  • Boolean operators are unavailable for browsing (scanning indexes).
  • Proximity operators are unavailable for derived searches.
  • Enter the complete music publisher number or government document number in a combined search. To truncate, you must use the asterisk truncation symbol (*).
  • Enter the maximum number of characters for each segment of a derived search, unless using the truncation symbol, when combining with another numeric or derived search.
  • Qualifiers apply to both parts of a combined search.

Boolean operators

Use the following operators between search terms to narrow or broaden your search or to indicate proximity. See complete procedures for entering searches in Search WorldCat interactively and Enter WorldCat searches for batch processing.

Boolean operator Example What the operator does
and Single index:

and is system default. The client automatically ands terms together.

Command line search example:
su:wom?n and history and new york/1990-

Guided search example:
wom?n and history and new york/1990-
(select Subject index from list and enter 1990- in Year box)

Multiple indexes:

Enter or select and between terms.

Command line search example:
su:wom?n and ti:history and pb:new york/ 1990-

Guided search example:
  • Enter wom?n in a text box and select the Subject index.
  • Enter history in a separate box and select the Title index.
  • Enter new york in a separate box and select the Publisher index.
  • Select AND in the operator lists preceding the search term boxes and enter 1990- in the Years box.
 Finds records that contain all combined terms in the same record.
or Command line search example: pn:woolf or stephen/1936

Guided search example:
woolf or stephen/1936
(select Personal Name index from list)
Or
woolf or stephen
(enter 1936 in Year box)		 Finds records containing any or all terms.
not Command line search example: su: civil and war not battle/1970

Guided search example:
civil and war not battle/1970
(select Subject index from list)
Or
civil and war not battle
(enter 1970 in Year box)		 Excludes the term that follows not.
with
(or w)		 Command line search example: ti:aluminum w wiring

Guided search example:

  • Select Title index from list.
  • Enter aluminum w wiring.
 Find records containing both terms, in the order typed, with no words between them.

Alternate technique:
Enclose terms in quotation marks (“aluminum wiring”)
Command line search example: ti:aluminum w2 wiring

Guided search example:
  • Select Title index from list.
  • Enter aluminum w2 wiring.
 With a number (1 to 25), finds records containing both terms, in the order typed, with no more than the specified number of other words between them.
near
(or n)		 Command

Guided		 Find record containing both terms, in any order, with no words between them.
Comand line search example: ti:overview n 1998

Guided search example:
  • Select Title index from list.
  • Enter chicken n3 egg.
 With a number (1 to 25), finds records containing both terms, with no more than the specified number of other words between them.

Nesting

Boolean searches can be nested using parentheses.

Examples:

  • Command line search: ut:(civil and war) and (battlefield and command*)
  • Keyword/Numeric search:
    • Select Uniform Title index from the list.
    • Enter (civil and war) and (battlefield and command*)

Include an operator as a keyword in a search

To use and, or, not, with, or near as part of a search statement, enclose it in quotation marks to prevent the system from treating it as an operator.

Example: To search for the title Neighbors Near and Far which includes near and and, normally treated as operators, enter ti:neighbors "near" "and" far.