You can perform either Simple or Advanced searches of our catalogue.
Simple search
The Simple search allows you to search for words in the Author, Title, RefNo and Description fields of the catalogue database. It is accessed via the Google-style search box in the top right hand corner of the CalmView page.
Type the word you wish to search for into the box and click the search button.
You can make your Simple searches more specific by entering more than one word. E.g. ‘railway station’ will search only for records containing both ‘railway’ AND ‘station’.
Advanced search
The Advanced search enables you to perform more precise searches and to choose which fields to search in. It is accessed from the Catalogue Search button on the left hand menu. You are able to search in the following fields:
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Any Text – this search is the most effective. Enter any combination of words to search the catalogue for all your words. E.g. ‘railway station’ will search for all records with either the words ‘railway’ OR ‘station’ appearing in them.
To find an exact phrase use quotation marks around your search term, e.g. “railway station”.
If you are unsure of spelling use the wildcard symbol *. E.g. ‘volunt*’ will find the words ‘volunteer’, ‘voluntary’, ‘volunteering’ etc.
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Author enter either full name or surname to search the catalogue entries that have an author or editor.
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Title – enter title of item here to search the Title field only. If you are unsure of the title, please use the Any Text field
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Description – enter text here to search the Description field of entries only. If your search is unsuccessful, please try the Any Text field.
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RefNo – if you know the full reference number of the item you require, enter it here. E.g. for the York and Lancaster Regiment collection, the reference is 578-K.
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Date – enter the date of the item you wish to find. The results will include all records whose date range includes your date. If this returns too many results, please try searching for the date using the Any Text field.
Refine advanced search criteria
By default, an Advanced search will look for the word or words you have entered. You can alter this by clicking the Refine Search Criteria option. This allows you to refine your search by stipulating one of the following condition:
These conditions will be applied to your search terms. Please note this option is only available in the Any Text, Author, Title and Description fields.
Places Search
You can carry out a search of place names and building names using the Places Search button on the left hand menu. Enter a place name into the Place Name or Any Text field and then click the search button. Your place search results are displayed in a results overview. Clicking on a record in the results overview will display the place record and any linked catalogue records.