Using Basic Search in the Portal
The Basic Search tips below were prepared by Maci Coates.
Unless you specify otherwise, Basic Search is going to be the default search tool. It serves as a ‘path of least resistance’ to searching without many details. To best use this resource, here are some tricks to get the best results possible. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/search/)
- Input terms using quotation marks to tell the system to search for a specific word or phrase. (ex. “Johnnie Coleman” searches for someone with the name Johnnie Coleman but searching Johnnie Coleman without quotation marks looks for both instances of “Johnnie” and “Coleman”).
- If you know the general time period or location, you can filter results based on decades or years. To do that, go to the left panel and select the appropriate term from the list. A window will then pop up asking for the specification information. After clicking on your desired limitation the search will automatically adjust. You can view the criteria at the top left below “Currently Limited to”.
Navigating Records in Scholarly Works
This quick tip was prepared by Megan Scott, a graduate student assistant for UNT Digital Libraries. Megan is currently studying Library Science and working toward a certificate in Digital Content Management.
Did you know that there are links within records that will complete a secondary search for you? All of the text that appears in green is available to browse by. This includes the information found under the Authors, Publisher, Degree Information (academic departments), Subjects, Language, and Item Type sections. Clicking on it will automatically complete an advanced search and bring you to a results page consisting of all records that meet the search parameters as specified by the linked text.
Example of linked information (seen in green text) in the ‘Who’ section of an item in the digital library. Clicking on the name Akl, Robert G. will complete a search for items available by this creator.
