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Emory University Emory Libraries

Using Library Search

This guide explains how to log into an account, search the catalog, and how to renew and request items.

Simple Search

 

The simple search on the Library Search homepage allows you to search for items by keyword, title, author/creator, or subject. To start searching, simply begin typing your search terms in the search box.

Narrow Your Results

 

Once you do your search, you can now filter your results under "Limit your search" on the left side of your screen. You can narrow by access (including items available online), resource type, library (which library is the physical copy available in), author/creator, publication/creation date, language, and more. When you click on an filter you are taken to a new results page - keep adding filters until you find the item that meets your needs!

Broadening and Narrowing Your Search

 

Library Search assumes you are searching for all the words individually–unless “OR,” "AND" or “NOT” appear between words and phrases. Put quotation marks around a phrase (e.g. “cloning humans”) if you want it to be treated as a connected phrase.

AND, OR, NOT (known as Boolean Operators) are used to connect and define the relationship between your search terms. Use uppercase letters for Boolean operators within searches.
 

AND

Narrows the search by telling Library Search to search for all records with both keywords or phrases.

    • college AND "social mobility"–will only find records with both words/phrases.

Venn Diagram highlighing the intersection between "college" and "social mobility"

OR

Broadens the search to include records with either keyword/phrase, or both.

    • college OR "higher education"

Venn Diagram highlighing the entire area of both "college" and "higher education"

NOT

Narrows your search. Tells database to search the first word but exclude the second word.

    • cloning NOT sheep

Venn Diagram highlighting the area of "cloning" but not where it intersects with "sheep"

Wildcard characters
Use a question mark to perform a single character wildcard search.

  • wom?n -- will find records containing the words “woman”, “women” and “womyn”.

Use an asterisk to perform a multiple character wildcard search.

  • cultur* -- will find records containing “culture”, “cultural”, “culturally”, etc.

Group terms within a search

Use parentheses to group terms within a search.

  • shakespeare AND (tragedy OR sonnet) -- will find records with the words “Shakespeare” and either “tragedy” or “sonnet”.