Capitalization is ignored.
Maine woods will get the same results as maine Woods
Dashes and hyphens are ignored.
well-being will get the same results as well being
Phrase searching is recognized. Use double quotes to search for an exact phrase.
"democratic education"
Word order is ignored.
organic grower will get the same results as grower organic
a, as, and, the, not, of, or are not ignored, i.e., every word you enter is searched. (This is not the case in most databases.)
A title search on golden and compass will not find the title Golden Compass because "and" is not in the title
Word order, capitalization and commas are ignored.
abraham Lincoln and Lincoln, Abraham and Lincoln Abraham will all get the same results
Here is some information about Thorncat's Basic Search options:
Advanced Search link is below the Thorncat search box on the library's website. This is similar to the basic search, but you can add additional search boxes and select from a series of filters to narrow down your search. With search filters you have the option to put limits on your search. Note that the filters are helpful, they may not always bring back complete results.
Options in Gray Bar at top of page
Search Results (in the main body of the page)
Left Side Bar
This provides a way for you to filter through your results. By selecting one of the options in the various filters, the results that match that filter will be displayed.
Right Side Bar
This allows you to put a Hold on an item. However, we are not currently recognizing this feature, so please do not use it. You can also save this item to your own personal list, provided you are logged in under My Account.