Three search strings are initially presented, use each to search within a different, or the same, search field, using Boolean search operators of AND, OR, or NOT to combine search terms. After entering your search term(s), select the field(s) you wish to search by making a selection from the drop-down menu beside the search term box. Search terms/phrases entered cannot exceed one hundred characters and twelve words. If additional search strings are required you can choose to “Add a row”, return to the default three search strings by clicking “Reset rows”. You may also choose to activate fuzzy searching.

Information on how to improve your search results can be found within Search Tips, accessible from all views via the Search Tips icon within the product banner at the top of the screen. 

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Fuzzy Search

Fuzzy search settings can enhance your full-text search by retrieving near matches on a term or terms. This is a particularly valuable feature in that it allows you to locate a word or words within documents despite imperfect matches in spelling between the searched term and document content.

Three levels of fuzzy searching are offered in the Advanced Search form so that you may fine-tune your search depending on how closely you want to match your term(s): Low, Medium, and High.

The Low setting will expand your full-text search results to include very near matches on your term(s), e.g., a full-text search on “harbor” with fuzzy search set at Low will return results containing both “harbor” and “harbour.” The Basic Search form contains a tick box that when selected, offers this level of fuzzy searching.

The High setting will expand your results to include very broad matches on your term(s), e.g., a full-text search on “harbor” with fuzzy search set at High will return results containing “harbor,” “harbour,” “Harper,” and “Harber.”

Within the Basic Search form, the default setting for fuzzy search is Low. You may de-activate fuzzy search by de-selecting the fuzzy search tick box to the right of the Search form.

Within the Advanced Search form, the default setting for fuzzy search is None. You may activate fuzzy search by selecting a fuzzy search level from the drop-down box to the right of Advanced Search form.

Note that if a truncation ("wildcard") character is used within a search string and a fuzzy search setting other than None has been selected, the search will ignore the fuzzy search setting in favor of the search indicated by the wildcard character.

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Browse Indexes

The Browse Indexes feature, accessible via the third tab from all views, allows you to access alphabetical lists of government offices, maps, organizations, persons, subjects and titles.

The list of persons is presented by default. In order to select an alternative browse list click on the appropriate tab within the browse box and this listing will be brought forward. Clicking on an item within any of the lists returns a results list of all documents within the specific section of the database in which that name or organisation appears.

Note that variations in the form of a name result in each form of the name appearing individually within the browse lists.

You may choose up to 20 items from any one index on which to search by holding down the Control Key while making your selections.

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Search History

The Search History feature, visible on the Basic Search and Advanced Search pages, saves and displays a list of the searches you've conducted within a session. Search terms are captured when you enter a term and the Search button is clicked. Search history is automatically cleared when you close or time out of the session.

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