Baruch Media Center

Digital Media Library Help

About the DML

Searching

Browsing

Submitting Media

QuickTime Help

 

Searching

Enter search terms in the box located in the upper right corner of the DML homepage.

  • Your terms must consist of more than three letters.
  • Be very specific about spelling. The search engine will not currently support truncation or find plurals.  Modify your search terms by making them plural or expressing them in another form. If for example you search for records containing the term 'problems', you will find them, but you won't find records containing the term 'problematic' or 'problem.' No problem. Just be specific.
  • The 'Categories Found' list on the left-hand side of the screen will display a list of categories your terms appear in, if any.

 

Boolean expressions:

Boolean operators (or logical connectors)-- AND, OR, and NOT-- are used to link together keywords when creating a search statement. Boolean operators may be used in most databases, and are used to broaden or narrow a search.

AND

Keywords combined with AND will retrieve records only where both terms appear.
Example: social security AND reform (AND is used to narrow a search)

 

 

OR

Keywords combined with OR will retrieve records where either one or both terms appear.
Example: blacks OR african americans (OR is used to broaden a search)

 

 

NOT

Keywords combined with NOT will retrieve records with the first term but not the second.
Example: depression NOT mental health (NOT is used to narrow a search)

 

USING BOOLEAN OPERATORS IN A SEARCH STATEMENT

1. State your topic in one sentence: race as a factor in death penalty sentencing

2. Break your topic down into key concepts or words:

concept 1: race concept 2: death penalty

3. Connect these words with the appropriate Boolean operators:

race and death penalty

4. Broaden your search using synonyms and/or variant spellings. Use parentheses if using two or more Boolean operators in a single search statement:

race and (death penalty or capital punishment)

 
For additional assistance, contact the Baruch Help Desk (646) 312 1010