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Search Limits Help
Search limits help make most searches more specific (see Restrictions and Cautions). Set search limits BEFORE entering search terms. One or more of the following search limits can be used:
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Restrictions and Cautions
The [ Set Search Limits ] button can be selected for any search method, but it has NO EFFECT on Subject, Name, or Call Number searches.
Once search limits are set, they remain in effect for subsequent searches, until the [ Clear Search Limits ] button is selected. This includes searches that are launched by selecting hypertext links in single catalog record displays.
Search limits can be very useful for refining search results in the Princeton University catalog database, but should be used with caution. Information used for each of the limits categories is not routinely recorded in all catalog records, and when multiple values (e.g., multiple languages) are recorded in a catalog record, limits can only retrieve on one of them. If relevant material is not retrieved after setting limits, clear the limits and repeat the search.
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- From the home page for the Online Catalog or from any of the individual search method screens, select the [ Set Search Limits ] button.
To set Language, Type of Material, Collection Location, or Place of Publication/Creation limits:
- Select a limits category by highlighting any option within the category's scroll window by clicking on it with the mouse or using the keyboard (try this in the example below):
- Jump quickly to the alphabet range of the category you desire by typing its first letter (alternatively scroll through the list using the mouse controls). This technique can only be used to make a single selection in a limits category.
Example: Type "g" to move to German.
- Choose more than one option within a category by holding down the <Ctrl> key (or <Apple> key on the Macintosh) while making additional selections.
Example: In the Type of Material category, hold down the <Ctrl> or <Apple> key to select both Music (Printed) and Music (Manuscript).
Once all limits selections have been highlighted, select the [ Set Search Limits ] button at the bottom of the page to make them take effect. The following message appears on all search screens, once limits have been activated:
Search Limits are in effect for this search.
They remain in effect until you select the [ Clear Search Limits ] button below. |
When using Search History to repeat previous searches, the search limits in effect are only the ones currently set. To restore previous search limits, use the [ Clear Search Limits ] button to clear the current limits, reset the previous limits, then select the [ Set Search Limits ] button. Return to the Search History screen and repeat the search.
Date of Publication/Creation - Language - Type of Material
Collection Location - Place of Publication/Creation
- Confines search results to materials published or created in a single year or span of years.
- The "after the year" (greater-than sign >), "before the year" (less-than sign <), and "range" options can be particularly useful when searching for materials whose date of publication/creation is uncertain or consists of a span of years, since limits by a single date would not retrieve such materials.
- Example #1: A book whose publication date was recorded as "[19--]" (i.e., uncertain decade) will not be retrieved when limiting by a single date; it will be retrieved with any one of the following date limits: range of 1900 to 1960; range of 1880 to 1940; or > 1860.
- Example #2: A serial whose publication dates span the years 1893-1912 will not be retrieved when limiting by a single year within that span, e.g., 1910. It will be retrieved when selecting a range of years or a "before" or "after" date that encompasses the whole span of years cited for the material, such as one of the following: range of 1890 to 1920; > 1900; or < 1920.
- Reprint publications will only be retrieved by setting the search limit to the date of the reprint, not the original date of publication.
- Some materials will not be retrieved at all when date limits are set because no data was recorded in the encoded fields used for date limiting. For instance, catalog records for many archival manuscript or mixed material collections do not include this encoded kind of date information.
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- Confines search results to materials in a particular language or set of languages. Since only one language can be recorded in the data field the limit uses, this limit reflects the primary or predominant language of the material. For example, a work in Japanese with some English translation will not be found when limiting on works in English.
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- Confines search results to a particular type of material. For example, select this option to limit search results to books and serials, excluding records for the many other formats the catalog includes (e.g., maps, music, photographs).
- A list of types of material, with cross-references from unused terms, is available.
- Although materials represented by catalog records can be of more than one type, the search limits feature generally retrieves only the predominant type.
For instance, a sound recording may
consist primarily of spoken material, but with some musical accompaniment. In such cases, the
type of material is recorded as "Nonmusic Sound Recording"; a limit by "Music Sound
Recording" would not find this item.
An exception is material that is serially produced. For
instance, a computer file that is issued serially can generally be retrieved either using the Serial or
the Computer File selection.
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- Confines search results to materials in a particular collection location within Princeton University. Since some of the locations are Princeton University libraries that specialize in a particular subject or format (e.g., Geography and Maps, Biology, Architecture) or a particular region of the world (e.g., Asian (Gest Library)), this limit can be useful for confining search results to collection locations where research will be concentrated.
- The locations include "reference collections" and materials in "general" and "special" collections.
- "Reference Collections" normally consist of books and periodicals that are available for self-service in Firestone and branch libraries. For instance, materials designated as being in the "Gest Library Ref." are materials available for self-service, reference use in the Gest Library or "Gen&Hum Reference(DR)" for general reference in Firestone Library Trustee's Room.
- Materials in locations other than the general or reference collections are normally retrieved by Library staff and must be requested in the corresponding collections. For instance, "Manuscript" refers to archival manuscript and mixed material that must be requested in the Manuscript Reading Room. A list of branch libraries and collections, with brief descriptions of their scope.
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- Confines search results to materials published or created in a particular country, state, or province (e.g., only materials published or created in France). Since only one place of publication/creation can be recorded in the catalog record data used by this limit, only the first named place will be retrieved. For example, a work published both in London and New York will not be found when limiting on works published or created in New York State or in the United States, generally.
- A list of place names, with cross-references from names not used.
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Set Search Limits Now - New Search - Princeton University Online Catalog Home Page
Princeton University Library
Comments: ppllib@princeton.edu (03/17/00)
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