The library's online discovery service is used to discover books and audio visual materials found in the library, as well as online books and videos available through our subscriptions.
An example of a search you can do for a reference book on addiction.
Always remember we are a member of OhioLINK. If you don't find material relating to your topic in our library, or our copy is checked out, you may request items be sent to our library from other OhioLINK libraries for you to use. This is a free service to you.
Boolean operators allow search words to be combined.
AND (all words), OR (any words), and NOT (excludes words) are supported in URsearch
The AND operator is the default operator, which means that if there is no Boolean operator specified between words, the AND operator is used, and URSearch will search for all the words.
To use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) within search phrases, you must enter them in uppercase letters. Otherwise, URsearch removes them and performs a simple search that includes all search phrases.
Examples:
| • stocks bonds | finds items containing both words, in any order |
| • stocks AND bonds | finds items containing both words, in any order |
| • stocks OR bonds | finds items containing either word, in any order |
| • stocks NOT bonds | finds items containing the first word, but not the second word |
When using multiple Boolean operators in a single search string, use brackets/parentheses ( ) to ensure search words are combined and processed in the order intended.
Without brackets, search words will automatically be processed from left to right. The AND and NOT operators will be processed before the OR operator.
Example:
Without brackets: shakespeare AND tragedy OR sonnet
Finds items that contain both the words Shakespeare and tragedy plus items containing the word sonnet on its own.
To change the default order of precedence, place brackets around words using the OR operator so that anything enclosed within brackets is processed first.
Example:
With brackets: shakespeare AND (tragedy OR sonnet)
Finds items that contain the word Shakespeare with either the words tragedy or sonnet.
URsearch adds the following types of synonyms to a search query:
Numbers – when a search contains a digit, URsearch adds the spelled-out number to the query. For example, URSearch adds the word ninth to a search query for 9th.
US or British spelling – when a search contains a word spelled according to US or British spelling, URsearch adds the corresponding synonym to the search query. For example, URsearch adds the word colour to a search query for color.
Commonly misspelled words – for commonly misspelled words, URsearch adds the word spelled correctly to the search query.
Hyphenated search terms – searches that include a search term with a hyphen return additional results by including the term's compound word in the search. For example, searches for the term chat-room also includes results for chat room and chatroom.
URsearch includes the original search term in the query in addition to the synonym. For example, it searches for (fifth OR 5th) AND dimension if the query is fifth dimension
Put quotation marks " " around search words to find items containing the exact words in the order specified.
Examples:
• "cancel culture"
• "roaring twenties"
• "great lakes"
• "to be or not to be"
A wildcard symbol (or truncation symbol) can be used in a search to find multiple variations of a word.
The following wildcard symbols are supported in URsearch:
Examples:
| • wom?n | finds items containing woman, women, womin, womyn, etc. |
| • te?t | finds items containing tent, test, text, etc. |
| • te*t | finds items containing tent, test, text, tempt, tenement, testament, etc. |
| • environment* | finds items containing environment, environmental, environmentalist, environmentalism, etc. |
| • manag* | finds items containing manage, manages, manager, managers, managing, management, etc. |
| • ? | finds most (if not all) items |
Words may be right-hand truncated using an asterisk. '*' for 1-5 characters, '**' for open-ended truncation, '?' to replace a single character anywhere within a word.
Examples : environment* polic*, comput**, wom?n
For Saving Records in Primo: You must save the items you select ON EACH page before you advance to the next screen of results.
