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Search Tips
Exact Phrase Search: Use Quotation Marks
Place two or more search terms in quotation marks to find results with the search terms appearing in the exact order e.g. in the title: "social media"
Expand Your Results: Use Truncation with *
You can truncate search terms with an asterisk * to find variations. For example, "histor" will retrieve "historical," "history," or "historicizing." Truncation within a word is also possible (wom*n, schiff*ahrt), but not at the start of a word. The asterisk represents any number of characters or none at all.
To truncate for exactly one character, use a question mark (?).
Example: To account for variations like Beirut, Bairut, Bayrūt, Beyrūt, search for B??rut.
Select a Search Field
The default All Fields option allows you to search for names, titles, ISBNs, and more. For content with numerical components (e.g., ISBNs), use quotation marks for precise results.
For more precise searches, choose fields like Author, Title, Subject, or Journal/Newspaper. Additional search fields are available in Advanced Search.
Suche nach Autor:innen
To find publications by a specific person, use the Author search field. Enter the name in natural order (First Last) or inverted (Last, First).
To limit results strictly to works by an author (excluding e.g. editor or illustrator roles), refine your search using the Author filter. Selecting an entry with life dates will show results linked to authority records. Note that older or external catalog data may not always include these links.
Search Multiple Words (AND)
When you enter multiple words separated by spaces, they are automatically linked with AND, meaning all words must appear in every result. Example: child AND care.
Aternative Terms (OR)
Use OR (uppercase) between terms to find results containing one or both terms. Example: wald OR forest.
Refine Results Using Filters
Refine search results by criteria such as online access, location (e.g., reading room), or media type (e.g., book, e-book) by using the filter options to the right of the search result list. Multiple elements within and across filters can be combined to narrow down results.
What Does the Topic Search Field Include?
The Topic field includes keywords (from titles), subject headings (thematically related terms, typically in German), classification labels, and numerical codes from the basic classification system.
Why Use Advanced Search?
Advanced Search simplifies complex queries, offering additional fields like publisher or provenance. Different search fields can be easily combined.
Include Variant Spellings
Use the tilde (~) for fuzzy searches to include similar spellings. Example: lebovsky~ retrieves Lebowski or Leborski.
Adjust similarity by adding a value (0-1) after the tilde. A smaller value increases fuzziness, while 1 searches for exact matches.
Search for 'Special' Characters
Special characters include accented letters, ligatures, or diacritics (e.g., Antonín Dvořák, København or œil). Reduce these to their base characters when searching for literature that is not written in the original language containing these special letters. Example: Dostojewski https://d-nb.info/gnd/118527053
Search in Original Language
For non-Latin scripts, modern records include original spellings. Older records are often searchable in transliterated form only.
Adjust Result List Sorting
Results are sorted by relevance by default, prioritizing publications from the past 10 years. Sorting by publication date may surface less relevant matches higher in the list.
Browsing by Topic: Why and How?
Browse for recent books on a topic without having to enter any search terms. Select a broad category from the basic classification and explore subcategories by choosing titles or dropdown arrows. The shown cover images represent sample publications. Once a class is selected, results are sorted by publication date.
Ordering Journals
To find a specific journal issue, search *All Fields* with the title and publication year.
If unsuccessful, remove the year. It may also help to put the journal title in quotation marks, e.g., "Annali di geofisica".
Check if the desired year is available. If you can't find the right issue via button "to the volumes", use the link "free journal volume order" to order the issue.
For unbound issues, use the same link and specify the desired date.
Access Electronic Resources
Most e-resources (e-books, e-journals, databases) are available remotely with login via your Stabi library account. Log in using your card credentials and a new, secure password. Remote access is not available for institutional cards due to licensing restrictions.
