There’s a search box on the home page of the catalogue. This is a simple search: you can type anything into this box and the search will look at the different parts of the catalogue to find the specified words.
The best way to use the catalogue is to search for items in the ‘any words or numbers’ field. This searches all the data in the catalogue.
The catalogue operates on a system called ‘Boolean’ searching. This means you can use ‘and’ between keyword terms to find two terms within a catalogue description, and you can use ‘or’ to find either term within a catalogue description.
If you are searching for the title of a work and that title includes ‘and’ or ‘or’, the catalogue will search for the individual terms on either side of the modifier. For example, if you search for Twist and Shout in the catalogue, you will get results for all items that include the words ‘twist’ and ‘shout’ in the item metadata. To search for the song of that title use quotation marks as in ‘Twist and Shout’.
We recommend searching a surname and one key term, such as ‘Thomas and Under Milk Wood’ if you are looking for a recording of the play ‘Under Milk Wood’ by Dylan Thomas.
Karajan SAME 1998 looks for these two terms in a single field (narrow search).
Karajan AND 1998 looks for these two terms in any field within the record (e.g. conductor and recording date).
Karajan OR 1998 looks for either term in any field within the record (i.e. the broadest search).
Karajan NOT 1998 looks for the first term and discounts any result that has 1998 anywhere in the record.
If you know an item’s shelfmark, searching for this can be a straightforward way to find it in the catalogue.
If you do not get a result the first time via a simple search, we recommend using our ‘Advanced Search’ option. This offers a selection of filters.
We do not recommend searching the catalogue with a broad theme. It is best suited to searches with specific keywords, such as names and places. Terms and spellings must be exact. Feel free to ask us for help.
The most specific and targeted results come from using the search filters: ‘any words or numbers’, ‘name’, ‘title’, ‘place’, and ‘year’. The ‘language’ filter is also useful but many records do not include this metadata.
To search widely, or if you know the shelfmark of your item, use the ‘Any words or numbers’ filter. You can also try entering names and titles in this field.
Use the ‘Name’ filter to search for people’s names, such as the names of interviewers, interviewees or performers. If you can’t find the results you need, try searching for this information in the ‘Any words or numbers’ field. In some instances, first names are logged by initial only, so it is best to search the catalogue for surnames.
Use the ‘Title’ filter to search for the titles of items. This may refer to the title an item was given when it was catalogued. If you can’t find the results you need, try searching for this information in the ‘Any words or numbers’ field.
To refine your search within the ‘title’ field, especially if you are searching for an organisation or for a longer title, you can use ‘Match on: left to right’.
Use the ‘Date’ filter to search by date.
This catalogue does not support some search functions. These include:
Some functions are not recommended as they will not necessarily return the results you need. However, there is guidance on how to use advanced search under ‘Smarter Searching’, below.