What it does
Limiting your search allows you to narrow your search by restricting it to
those records containing certain features. There are two ways to
accomplish this. Where appropriate to your need, use the Quick Limits
drop-down menu on the Basic Search screen. When more refinement is
imortant, use the more sophisticated options presented on a separate page
reached by clicking on the Set Search Limits button.
Quick Limits
On the Basic Search screen you can use the drop-down menu
under Quick Limits to apply a single limit to your current search.
The available Quick Limits include:
- None
- This unrestrictive choice is the default on the
Basic Searchscreen - NLS and Locally Produced Network Books
- The search will only retrieve books held by NLS and/or its network
libraries. This includes:
- Books produced or purchased by NLS in large quantities and distributed to all regional libraries
- Books produced or purchased by NLS (or donated to NLS) which are held in limited quantities and are held at NLS or its multistate centers
- Books produced by individual network libraries and available through interlibrary loan.
- NLS Sound Recordings
- Restricts retrieval to only sound recordings held by NLS.
- NLS Books—Last 5 years
- Restricts retrieval to all books held by NLS and produced in the last five years.
- NLS Nationally Distributed Books (RC, BR, RD)
- Restricts retrieval to books produced or purchased by NLS in large quantities and distributed to all regional libraries
- NLS Braille
- Restricts retrieval to braille books held by NLS.
- Web Braille
- Restricts retrieval to Web Braille books.
All of these books, with the exception of those held by the NLS Music Collection, are available from cooperating NLS network libraries (either directly or by interlibrary loan). Books from the NLS Music Collection are available directly from the NLS Music Section.
Tips for Quick Limits
- Can be used only with Keyword and Title searches.
- Can not be used with author, subject, and book number searches.
- Remain in effect until cleared by clicking the
Clear Limitsbutton before starting a new search. - Quick Limits can not be used in combination with the
Set Search Limitspage.
Set Limits
One or more of the following search limits can be used (please read the "restrictions and cautions" below):
- Date (the year in which the title was produced in special format)
- Language of the material
- Medium (e.g. braille, sound recording, large print, tactile map)
- Type (music)
- Location (NLS or other agencies)
Once search limits are set (either before or after a search), they remain in effect for
subsequent searches, until the Clear Search Limits button is clicked.
Set Search Limits by Date
From the Basic Search or Guided Search screens, click the Set Search
Limits button. This will bring you to the Set Search Limits screen.
It is necessary to set the limit as equal to a particular year, after a year, before a year, or in a range of years. The top line has a series of boxes and radio buttons to set this up. To limit the search to one particular year:
- Type a year in the first box in the format YYYY.
- Because the default is set at the equal sign, the system will search for that year automatically; it is not necessary to click on any other buttons in this section.
To limit the search to a period before or after a particular year:
- Type a year in the first box.
- Click the button for the greater-than sign
>for materials produced after (not including) that date. - Click the button for the less-than sign
<for materials produced before (not including) that date.
To limit the search to a range of years:
- Type the year that opens the range in the first box.
- Click on the
Rangebutton. - Type the year that ends the range in the last box.
Once all limits selections have been highlighted, click on the
button labeled Set Search Limits. This button appears both
at the top and bottom of the Search Limits box. The following message appears on
all search screens, once limits have been activated: Search limits are
in effect.
Set Search Limits by Language
From the Basic Search or Guided Search screens, click the Set Search
Limits button. This will bring you to the Search limits screen.
To select a language, highlight it on the drop down listbox by clicking on it with the mouse or using the keyboard.
A quick way to get to the necessary part of the alphabet is to type the first letter of the language. This technique can be used only to make a single selection in a limits category. Alternatively, scroll through the list using the mouse controls.
To select more than one language, hold down the <Ctrl> key
(or <Apple> key on the Macintosh) while making additional selections.
The "Language" limit reflects only the primary or predominant language of the material, because only one language can be recorded in the data field used for limiting.
Once all limit selections have been highlighted, click on the button
labeled Set Search Limits. This button appears both at the top
and bottom of the Search Limits box. The following message appears on all search
screens, once limits have been activated: Search limits are in effect.
Set Search Limits by Medium
From the Basic Search or Guided Search screens, click the Set Search Limits
button. This will bring you to the Search limits screen.
The drop-down menu allows you to select one or more medium from the following:
- Sound Recording
- Braille
- Large Print
- Electronic resources
- Maps
Select a category by highlighting an option within the scroll window by clicking on it with the mouse or using the keyboard.
To select more than one medium, hold down the
Once all limits selections have been highlighted, click on the button labeled "Set Search Limits". This button appears both at the top and bottom of the Search Limits box. The following message appears on all search screens, once limits have been activated: Search limits are in effect (will not work etc.)
Set Search Limits by Type
From the Basic Search or Guided Search screens, click the Set Search
Limits button. This will bring you to the Search limits screen.
This option confines the search to musical scores (not musical recordings).
Once all limits selections have been highlighted, click on the button labeled "Set Search Limits". This button appears both at the top and bottom of the Search Limits box. The following message appears on all search screens, once limits have been activated: Search limits are in effect (will not work etc.)
Set Search Limits by Location
From the Basic Search or Guided Search screens, click the
Set Search Limits button. This will bring you to the Search limits screen.
This option allows you to confine the search to books produced by NLS or network libraries.
Once all limits selections have been highlighted, click on the button labeled "Set Search Limits". This button appears both at the top and bottom of the Search Limits box. The following message appears on all search screens, once limits have been activated: Search limits are in effect (will not work etc.)
Post Search Limits
Limits can be applied to search results when viewing a Titles List by clicking on the button labeled "Add Limits to Search Results", which appears at the bottom of a Titles List. The button is only available Selecting this button takes you to the Limits screen, where you can apply multiple limits to the existing search results set.
Removing Limits
Limits will stay in effect until they are removed. You can remove limits by clicking on the button labelled "Clear Search Limits" which appears below the search boxes on the search page and at the bottom of the Search Limits box.
Tips
- If you set search limits in mid-stream and return to the search screen, the terms you had entered wil be cleared; set search limits before you begin entering terms.
- Although limits can be set for any search, there is no effect on Subject, Author, or Book Number searches.
- Once search limits are set (either before or after a search), they remain in effect for subsequent searches, until the Clear Search Limits button is clicked.
- The limits also affect searches that are launched by clicking on hypertext links in single catalog record displays.
- Search limits can be very useful for refining large sets of search results but should be used with caution. Not all catalog records contain the data that is used to set limits.
- When multiple values (e.g., several languages) are present in a catalog record, limits can retrieve only one of them. If relevant material is not retrieved after setting limits, try clearing the limits and modifying the search.
- When using Search History to repeat previous searches, note that the search limits will use only the ones currently set. To restore previous search limits, use the button to clear the current limits, reset the previous limits, then select the button. Return to the Search History screen and repeat the search.
