The home page for the Archives Research Center finding aids features a search box that allows researchers to do keyword searches. For basic searches, researchers only need to type in a keyword for the topic they are researching.
On the search results page, researchers have the ability to refine their search by either starting a new search or changing the one already done. Buttons for Refine Search and New Search can be found at the top right of the search results, above filter results.
New Search:
Use this button to start a completely new search. By clicking on new search, researchers will be taken to a new page with an empty search line. This search has the same options as the home page.
Refine Search:
Use this button to refine the search currently being conducted. By clicking on refine search, researchers will be shown their initial search. Researchers can make changes to their search by using the options provided. These options are the same as those on the home page.
The Search box also allows researchers to conduct advanced searches. Advanced searches decrease the number of search results, which leads to more precise searches.
Researchers can search the website like a database by using quotations and asterisks.
To the right of the search line is a dropdown menu for limiting searches to collections or digital materials.
There is also a dropdown menu that will search for the search term as a Keyword, Title, Subject, Notes, or Identifier.
Additionally, researchers can add a date range to their search by using the From and To fields.
Researchers can click on the plus sign [+] to add more search lines. Researchers can use these boxes to create statements using AND, OR, NOT (Boolean Operators). Multiple search lines can be used at one time.