Basic Search

The Basic Search is one of HIP's three searching tools. Basic Search lets you search your library's catalog by a single author, title, or subject keyword.

Note: From the Welcome page, you can enter an author name, title, or subject keyword in the Search field.

How to do a Basic Search

1. Click the Search tab.

2. Choose the search index you want to use from the Search drop-down menu.

3. Enter the search term that you want to use in the Search field.

   Tip: You can also search for items using a "wildcard" symbol or a truncation symbol. This is useful if you do not know the exact term for which you want to search. (For example, you may not know how to spell an author's name.)

   The wildcard symbol represents a group of unknown characters in addition to those in your search criteria. You use the asterisk ( * ) for the wildcard. (For example, if you enter "man*" for an Author Keyword search, HIP displays titles by authors named "Mansen," "Mandell," "Manhattan," and so forth.)

   The truncation symbol represents a single character in addition to those in your search criteria. You use the question mark ( ? ) for truncation. (For example, if you enter "man?" for an Author Keyword search, HIP displays titles by authors named "Man," "Mang," "Mann," "Mans," and so forth.)

4. Click Go.

   HIP returns a list of results based on the search criteria you entered.