A successful library search uses both Keywords and Boolean operators. We have already discussed Keywords, so what are Boolean operators, and how do you use them? Boolean operators are logic terms that help to broaden or narrow your search by combining terms in different ways and keeping certain phrases together. There are three words and three sets of symbols that you will use.
The terms are AND, OR, and NOT. The symbols are "", (), and *.
AND combines terms and narrows your search. It finds only resources with both terms. If you wanted a car that was red AND a Honda, you would want a red Honda, not a blue Honda or a red Ford.
OR looks for items that will match either of these terms. If you wanted a red or blue Honda or Ford, you could have any combination of these options in your car.
NOT excludes something. You want to be very careful using NOT in database searching.
See below for more detailed examples.
For handy tips when using Boolean, see the sidebar.
For a table of all Boolean operators and how to use them, see the table on the next page.
AND
The word AND limits your search results to only items that include both/all search terms.
OR
The word OR widens your search results to include items with either term, regardless of how those terms relate.
NOT
The word NOT can eliminate the irrelevant phrases from your search results. NOT tells a database not to show any results containing that term. Be cautious. NOT can accidentally cut out relevant items from your search results.
