HuskieSearch Help: How to Search

Using Advanced Search provides you with more options for optimizing your search. If you want to make use of Advanced Search, simply click on the magnifying glass icon to the right of the search bar on the library's main page (you do not need to enter any search terms yet).

Now, click on Advanced Search—located to the right of the search bar.

The Advanced Search page allows you to set the parameters of your search in a number of ways. 

At the top of the page, you can choose which collection you want to search: Library Catalog, Course Reserves, All-Share Libraries, Articles & More (ProQuest or EBSCO databases), E-Books, WorldCat, or Everything.

The Field selector allows you to search all fields (basically a keyword search) or a particular field (such as title, author/creator, subject, ISBN, or a number of other options).

Search type indicates how your search terms are compared against the search field. You can choose:

• contains – which will provide results containing all words in the phrase (though possibly in a different order and not close together)
• is (exact) – which will show you results that contain the exact phrase(s) you specify
• starts with – which will return results that contain words that start with the search phrase

You can then use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) and further words or phrases on a new line to further refine your results. For more about Boolean Operators, consult the Basic Search tab.

At the bottom of the box, you will see exactly what you have asked HuskieSearch to look for: results with titles using the exact phrase "barbed wire" or any works containing the words "razor" and "wire"—regardless of the order of the words or where in the item these words appear.

And finally, you also have the option to use filters for even more control over the results returned. You can select a publication date range, choose a specific language (from Arabic to Vietnamese), or pick a material type (journals, books, videos/film, and musical scores to name a few).

Use filters to narrow down and focus your search results. "Filter your results" options are located in the left side column of your results.  

For example, the Subject filter is particularly useful for narrowing down your results. Click on Subject to expand the subject menu. Click on a specific subject to limit your results to those items associated with that subject heading. In this example, clicking on Hydrothermal Vent Animals will limit the results to the 7 items about that subject. 

Circulating items available at the library can be requested through HuskieSearch by NIU faculty, students, and staff. Materials may be retrieved from either the Circulation Desk or library vestibule lockers. You may also locate the item yourself on the shelves using the call number. Signs near the elevators will tell you which floor items are located on by call number.

Locating the Items in Your Search Results

In HuskieSearch, Location refers to the literal place in the library where an item can be found. 

For physical items, such as a DVD or an archival photo, a Library Catalog-based HuskieSearch will display the name of the collection the item belongs to and where that collection is shelved (such as the Film Collection or Regional History). It will also let you know if items in that collection are circulating (can be checked out) or non-circulating (can only be used in the building). In addition, it indicates whether there is no physical location and the item is instead, available online. Using Location, you can also determine whether you will need to go to one of the branch libraries (Faraday or Music) or to the Law Library to find the item you need. If you are searching All I-Share Libraries, Location will be replaced by Institution.