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Clicking on any of these topics will link you to the appropriate section in this document.

Search Help

Helpful Tips for Beginners
Basic and Advanced Search Screens
Bibliographic Records and Fields
Keyword and Headings Indexes
Browsing by Author or Title
Basic Searching
Search Types Available on the Basic Search Screen
Format Options on the Basic Search Screen
Advanced Searching
Search Types Available on the Advanced Search Screen
Limits Available on the Advanced Search Screen
Taking Advantage of Boolean and Proximity Operators
Search Tips Using Boolean and Proximity Operators
Understanding Search Results
E-mail and Print Options

General Help

Minimum Browser Requirements
Electronic Formats: JPEG and PDF
Using Full Text Documents
Navigation
Menu Bar Options
Timeline Headings and the Florida History Timeline

Search Help
Helpful Tips for Beginners

Basic and Advanced Search Screens

Basic Search and Advanced Search screens have pull-down menus. Click and hold the mouse on the arrow on the right to see the choices in any pull-down menu. Select a choice by dragging your mouse to it and highlighting it.
If you are using Basic Search, press Enter or click the Submit button to send your search to the system. If you are using Advanced Search, you must click the Submit button to send your search to the system.

Bibliographic Records and Fields

Searches are done on "bibliographic records" that describe Florida Heritage materials. Bibliographic records generally look something like this:

Author, etc.:
Dickison, J. J. (John J.)
Title:
Military history of Florida / [electronic resource] Col. J.J. Dickison.
Published:
[Florida] : State University System of Florida, PALMM Project, c1899.
Notes:
Biographical section (p. 193-367)
(C) Copyright (electronic version) 1999, State University System of Florida.
Digital reproduction of: Dickison, J. J. (John J.). Military history of Florida -- Atlanta : Confederate Pub. Co., 1899. -- 212 p. : ill., maps (some fold.) ; 24 cm. (Confederate military history ; v. 11)
Original located in: University of South Florida, Main Library, Tampa.
Subjects, general:
Florida--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.
Florida--Biography.
Confederate States of America--History.
Confederate States of America--Biography.

As you can see, bibliographic records are composed of labeled sections called "fields". The sample record above has one field labeled "Author" containing the information "Dickison, J.J. (John J.), and one field labeled "Title". There are 4 fields labeled "Subjects, general". When you do a search on a bibliographic record, you can chose to search all the data in the record, or only data in certain fields.

Keyword and Headings Indexes

Most search options are for either Keyword or Headings type indexes. In a Keyword type index, words can be searched regardless of where they appear in the field of the bibliographic record. For example, the search type called Keyword(s)is a Keyword type of index. Searching the word "John" in the Keyword(s) index will find both of these authors:

John, Nancy
Dickison, J.J. (John J.)

Words searched in Keyword type indexes have to match exactly. If you want to search on part of a word, you have to use the symbol "?" to indicate where to truncate your search term. For example, searching the word "John" in the Keyword(s) index will not match on "Johnson", but, searching "John?" will.

In a Headings type index, your search term is matched against the start of each field, from left to right. Right truncation is assumed. For example, searching the word "John" in an author Headings index will find both of these authors:

John, Nancy
Johnson, Lyndon Baines

but it will not find the author

Dickison, J.J. (John J.)

Browsing by Author or Title

It is possible to browse the collection by clicking the Author List or Title List buttons on the Florida Heritage Collection home page. Choose one of these options to retrieve an alphabetical list of documents available in Florida Heritage Collection.

Author List: This list is arranged by the last name of the author. Selecting a letter from the A to Z bar jumps to documents written by authors whose last name starts with the selected letter.

Title List: This list is arranged alphabetically by title. Selecting a letter from the A to Z bar jumps to titles starting with the selected letter.

Basic Searching

The Basic Search screen lets you search for keywords, authors, titles, subjects and timeline Headings. For additional options, click on Advanced Search in the toolbar.

Search types available on the Basic Search Screen

1. Keyword(s):
Use this search to find a word or words anywhere in the bibliographic record (that is, words in author names, titles, subjects or notes). If you enter more than one word, the system assumes that both words are required (AND) in the same bibliographic record. This is a Keyword type of index. If you want to search on part of word, use a question mark (?) to indicate where you have truncated the word (e.g., typing hurricane? finds hurricane and hurricanes).

2. Author's Name:
Use this search to find authors, editors and other contributors. Authors may be people or organizations. You can type all or part of a name, but you must type the author's last name first.
Examples:
scott
scott thomas
jacksonville board

3. Title:
Use this search to find a title. Don't enter initial articles (i.e., type "sound and the fury" not "the sound and the fury"). You can type all or part of the title.
Examples:
early banking days
waterways of

4. Subject:
Use this search to find subject Headings, including Library of Congress subject Headings and Florida Heritage Timeline Headings. If you don't know the heading exactly, try using a Keyword(s) search. You can enter all or part of the subject heading. If the subject heading displays with a double dash, include the dashes in your search.
Examples:
geology
geology--georgia

5. Timeline:
Use this search for Florida Heritage Timeline Headings as defined in the Florida History Timeline. These are Headings identifying important time periods in Florida's history (for example, "Territorial Florida -- 1821-1845"). Please note that this is a keyword type of search. If you want to search on part of a Timeline Heading word, you need to use a question mark (?), to indicate where you have truncated the word.

Format Options on the Basic Search Screen

Most materials in the Florida Heritage Collection have been digitized and are available for viewing online in both PDF and JPEG formats. Some materials have been selected for digitization but are not yet available. The Format box allows you to retrieve information about all materials that match your search (All Items) or to restrict your results to only those materials that are available for viewing online (Items Available Online).

Advanced Searching

The Advanced Search screen contains an extended search form, which enables you to enter search terms in various field groupings. You may also limit the format and/or grade level of the materials you retrieve.

When should the Advanced Search Screen be used?

* if you retrieve too many results with a Basic search
* if you need to do complex Boolean searches
* if you want to limit results to a particular grade level

Search types available on the Advanced Search Screen

The Advanced Search screen allows you to enter all the searches available on the Basic Search form (Keyword(s), Author's Name, Title, Subject, Timeline). It also allows these additional searches:

1. Subject Keywords: This search looks for words in subject fields only. This is a Keyword type of search.

2. Title Keywords: This search looks for words in title fields only. This is a Keyword type of search.

3. Author Keywords: This search looks for words in author fields only. This is a Keyword type of search.

4. Browse Keywords: This search option lets you browse through a list of terms from the keyword index alphabetically preceding and following the term you enter. Clicking on a term will take you to a list of records containing that term, and is the same as entering that term as a Keyword(s) search.

5. Journal/Magazine Title: Your input text is searched for as a title except that the results are limited to journals, magazines, annuals and other items that are published at periodic intervals. This search type helps eliminate from your search results items with similar titles that are not journals. For example, if you want to look for the magazine Time, the journal title search will return only Time, and leave out the many hits on the Time-Life books series. This is a Headings type of search.

6. Subject Headings LC: This search looks for Library of Congress Subject Headings only. This is a Headings type of search.

7. Browse A/T/S: This search type allows you to search the merged author/title/subject (a/t/s) Headings index in a dictionary format with cross-references. In the a/t/s index, you can display the closest place to the text you enter in your search statement. You will be able to browse forward and backward through the a/t/s Headings and you may navigate to records. This is a Headings type of search.

8. Keyword Notes/Abstracts: This search looks for words in notes and abstracts only. This is a Keyword type of search.

9. ISBN: Standard number searching enables you to locate a work if you know the number. This search type causes the system to look for your search text in the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) index for Headings that match your input. This is a Headings type of search.

10. ISSN: Standard number searching enables you to locate a work if you know the number. This search type causes the system to look for your search text in the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) index for Headings that match your input. This is a Headings type of search.

11. OCLC Control Number: Standard number searching enables you to locate a work if you know the number. This search type causes the system to look for your search text in the Online Computer Library Center Control Number index for Headings that match your input. This is a Headings type of search.

12. LC Control Number: Standard number searching enables you to locate a work if you know the number. This search type causes the system to look for your search text in the Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN) index for Headings that match your input. This is a Headings type of search.

Limits available on the Advanced Search Screen

Format

Most materials in the Florida Heritage Collection have been digitized and are available for viewing online in both PDF and JPEG formats. Some materials have been selected for digitization but are not yet available. The Format box allows you to retrieve information about all materials that match your search (All Items) or to restrict your results to only those materials that are available for viewing online (Items Available Online).

Grade level

The Grade Level options box allows you to limit your search results to documents that are appropriate for a particular grade level as defined by the Florida Department of Education Sunshine State Standards. The following options are available:

All
Grades PreK-2
Grades 3-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12

Taking Advantage of Boolean and Proximity Operators:

Boolean Operators

A Boolean operator allows you to specify the logical relationship between search terms that occur in the same record. The Advanced Search screen allows you to use the following Boolean operators:

and:
The and operator is used to make a connection between two terms that will retrieve records. And retrieves all records containing at least one occurrence of the specified terms. All of the specified terms must be in the record. And is useful for decreasing the amount of records retrieved by a search statement. Please note WebLUIS supplies and as the default operator if more than one term appears in the input box and you do not explicitly select the operator(s) in your search.

or:
The or operator retrieves records that contain one term or the other, or both, regardless of their position in a record. Or is used to combine two or more terms that are synonyms or variant terms. Or is useful for increasing the amount of records retrieved.

not:
Not is used to exclude from your retrieval sets those records that contain a certain term or terms. In other words, the not operator retrieves any record which contains the first term but not the second. You should use not only when absolutely certain that you do not want any records that happen to contain the not term. If your not term is not very specific, you may accidentally exclude some relevant records.

Proximity Operators

adj:
The adj operator searches for terms that occur adjacent to each other in the same sentence or phrase (in the order typed); in other words, the second term immediately follows the first term. Stopwords may exist between the two search terms, they are ignored.

near:
The near operator also searches for terms that are adjacent to each other. Near is the same as adj, except that the two search terms can occur in either order.

within n (where n is a number):
The within n operator (where n is a number) is the same as near except that n specifies the maximum number of words that can occur between the two search terms. For example, florida within 1 university, would retrieve those records containing such phrases as the University of Florida, Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University, and Florida State University.

same:
Using same to combine terms will retrieve those records that have the search terms appearing in the same field of a record (not necessarily together) and in either order. For example, common same law, would retrieve records with information about common law and law passed by Britain's House of Commons as well as this work: The Alien and the Immigration Law written by the Common Council for American Unity.

Search Tips Using Boolean and Proximity Operators

In any kind of keyword(s) search type you may use proximity and/or boolean operators in a single input box. For example, if you choose Author Keywords as your search type, you may type two or more names in one input box using a boolean and/or proximity operator -- e.g. shakespeare or aristotle. Remember, the system default is and so use parentheses to specify the order in which you would like the system to execute the various components of your search statement -- e.g. (shakespeare or aristotle) and poetry. You may use multiple levels of parentheses (or nesting) if needed. Be sure that each set of parentheses is complete.

Understanding Search Results

Entering your search terms on either Basic Search or Advanced Search screens causes the system to return with a search results page. Your Search Terms are displayed under the toolbar and before the results list. The total number of "hits" (records that matched your search) is indicated as well as the record count.

The results list usually contains short entries (generally title, author and date of publication) for records matching your search. The title is a hyperlink you can click on to see the full bibliographic record. There are also hyperlinks to the full text of the document, if it is available online, in both JPEG and PDF formats. If you display the full bibliographic record for a document, access points such as authors, series and subjects are hyperlinks. Clicking on those hyperlinks performs a new search for records matching that heading.

E-Mail and Print Options

It is possible to e-mail bibliographic records to any e-mail address. To select a record for emailing, click on (check) the Mark box to the left of the short results entry, or at the top left of the full bibliographic record. You can mark any number of records for emailing. When you are ready to mail, click on E-mail Marked under Command Options bar to the right of the screen. The system will prompt you to choose a record format and to enter your email address. The records are mailed when you click on Send. To clear out the checks in the Mark boxes, use your browser's Reload function.

It is also possible to format one or more bibliographic records for printing by first marking the record(s) you want by checking the Mark box(es) and then selecting Print Marked from Command Options. This reformats the records on your screen. You can then use your browser's Print function to actually print them.

Formats available for emailing and printing are Brief, Long and Tagged. The Brief format is good for producing a short citation or list of citations with locations and call numbers, for example, for taking to the bookstacks. The Long format gives complete bibliographic information including all subjects, series and notes, as well as locations and call numbers. The Tagged format is useful for importing into citation managers such as ProCite and Notebook II.

General Help
Minimum Browser Requirements

The Palmm Collection works with all standard compliant browsers. Current versions of Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer (or similar browser with Java and Javascript enabled) are recommended. Current versions of Firefox and Internet Explorer are available free for downloading.

Full text documents in Florida Heritage collection are available in Portable Document Format (PDF) for downloading and printing. Your browser must be configured to run the Acrobat Reader software in order to read a PDF document. Acrobat Reader is available free and can be downloaded from Adobe's Download Page. For a detailed instruction and a step-by-step tutorial you may refer to the Acrobat Reader Tutorial.

Electronic Formats: JPEG and PDF

Documents in the Florida Heritage Collection are available in JPEG and PDF formats.

JPEG:
JPEG images are good for displaying online in your browser. Every page of books and other documents in the Florida Heritage Collection is represented by one JPEG image. To move from page to page, use the Next and Previous buttons on the menu bar at the top or bottom of the screen.

PDF:
PDF files are good for downloading and printing. In general, all of the pages in a chapter or other type of section are "bundled together" into a single PDF file. When you click on a link to a PDF file the Adobe Acrobat Reader launches automatically and displays the document on your screen. The Acrobat Reader has navigation tools that allow you to turn pages, zoom in and out, and print or download the file. You must have the Acrobat Reader properly configured in your browser. Please see Minimum Browser Requirements for more information.

Using Full Text Documents

Navigation (moving around)

Choosing either the JPEG or the PDF version of a document will take you to the Table of Contents for the document. Selecting (clicking on) any entry from the Table of Contents will take you directly to that section.
In the JPEG version, clicking on Next and Previous on the menu bar at the top or bottom of the page will take you to the next or previous page of the document, even if that page is in another section. That is, you can "next" directly from the last page of Chapter 1 to the first page of Chapter 2 if you want.
In the PDF version, every section is a separate PDF file. You can move from page to page within the section by using the vertical scroll bar at the right of the screen, or the page turner in the command bar at the bottom of the PDF window. (The page turner shows "n of n" -- e.g. "1 of 3" -- between left and right arrows.) To move to another section, use your browser's Back button to return to the Table of Contents, and then select the section you want.

Menu Bar Options

The menu bar displays at the top and bottom of the Table of Contents page and every JPEG image page. Only relevant options display at any time -- e.g., you will never see a "Next" button if you are on the last page of a document. The possible buttons and their meanings are listed below.

Citation: This will take you back to the bibliographic description of the document in WebLUIS.

Contents: This will take you to the Table of Contents.

Go To Page: This will take you directly to a page selected from the pull-down menu to the right of this button. Select the page you want from the pull-down and click the "Go To" button.

Next: This will take you to the next page in a document, or the next image in an ordered set of images (e.g. the next postcard in a collection of postcards).

PDF Files | JPEG Images: This functions as a toggle, switching you to the PDF version if you are currently viewing JPEG, and vice versa. In all cases, it will return you to the Table of Contents for the new format.

Prev: This takes you to the previous page of a document, or the previous image in an ordered group of images (e.g. an earlier postcard in a postcard collection).

Search results: This will take you back to the results of your last previous search in WebLUIS.

Timeline Headings and the Florida History Timeline

The Florida History Timeline is a set of Headings identifying important time periods in Florida's history (for example, "Territorial Florida -- 1821-1845"). The Timeline can be used in two ways:

1. Headings in the Timeline, called "Timeline Headings", have been put into cataloging records for materials in the Florida Heritage Collection, and can be searched by selecting the "Timeline" index from the Basic or Advanced Search options screens in WebLUIS. These Headings are also indexed in the Subject, Subject Headings, Subject Keywords, Keyword(s) and Browse A/T/S indexes.

2. If you click on the link to the "Florida History Timeline" on the left side of the Florida Heritage Collection homepage, you will see the complete list of Timeline Headings. When web construction is complete, clicking on any one of these Headings will take you to a short essay describing the time period and important events that occurred within it. At the end of that essay will be a link you can click to list all Florida Heritage Collection materials pertaining to that time period.