Research Online Search Help
Simple Search
The simple AnyText search box will search all the fields in the catalogue records. For a simple search enter a word, words or phrase, in the AnyText box then click on the Search button. The search is not case sensitive (i.e. if you enter ‘horatio nelson’ it will also find ‘Horatio Nelson’).
Use the * symbol as a wildcard to capture more relevant records. For example a text search for ‘slave’, will find only records with that specific word. A search for ‘slave*’, will also find any records which include ‘slaves’, ‘slavery’, ‘anti-slavery’, ‘slaver’, etc.
A simple search may produce a very large hit list. If that is the case you might want to try an Advanced Search, or change your Word Option settings.
Click ‘Search’ to begin.
Advanced Searches
Use the advanced search option to search other fields or to search the AnyText field in combination with other fields.
Date
Date is the date, or dates, that an item e.g. manuscript, paintings, etc was ‘created’. For a single item this may be as precise as a single day e.g. ‘11th November 1918’, or for a collection as general as a range of dates e.g. 1688-1900. Use this box if you want to refine your search by date. For example:
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Search for a single date e.g. ‘1943’. This will find any dates within 1943, any dates where it is included as part of a span of years e.g. 1943-1945, or within a span e.g. 1939-1945.
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Search for a range of dates e.g. ‘1793-1801’. This will find all records which include any of these years between 1793 and 1801 as a single year e.g. ‘1795’, or any of these years within a span of years e.g. ‘1780-1797’.
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Search for a century e.g. ‘17th century’. This will find all records which contain as a single year from the 17th century e.g. ‘1627’, or within a span of years e.g. ‘1588-1601’.
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Where the date an item was ‘created’ is unclear we have catalogued them with a circa date e.g. ‘c.1898’. Any search for ‘1900’, will also find these approximate dates.
RefNo
RefNo is the unique reference number allocated to items in the collection. Use this box if you know the collection reference e.g. 2000/53 or the reference for an individual item within a collection e.g. 2000/53.1. Do not put spaces between any elements of the reference.
Collection
The database contains records from 6 different collections: manuscripts, WRNS, oral history recordings, photographs, artefacts and visual art. This box can be used to limit your search just to one collection. If you do not use it you will search across all these collections.
Discrete
This field allows you to limit your search just to one ‘discrete’ collection within a broader heading. For example if you select ‘Admiralty Library Manuscripts’ this will search only manuscripts from this source and not the whole manuscript collection.
Type
This search box can be used to find types of manuscript e.g. diary, journal, chart. This will restrict your search to only this type of document.
Building an Advanced Search
You can also use this search screen to ‘build’ on an existing advanced search. Once you have made your initial search and created a hit list you can:
Word Option Settings
Click on the button next to each word to change how the database searches for words and phrases.
If it is set to AND a search for ‘HMS Fearless’ will find all records with ‘HMS’ and ‘Fearless’ wherever they appear.
If it is set to OR a search for ‘HMS Fearless’ will find all records with either ‘HMS’ or ‘Fearless’.
If it is set to PHRASE a search for ‘HMS Fearless’ will find all records where the words ‘HMS Fearless’ appear as an exact phrase.
Widen
This will add items new items to your hit list depending on the new field(s) you complete.
Narrow
This will narrow your existing hit list to just the items which include the new field(s) you complete.
Exclude
This will take away items from your hit list which include the new field(s) you complete.