One-Search Library Catalog: Getting Started

Using Advanced Search

One-Search includes an advanced search function. There are links to the Advanced Search on any page within the One-Search Catalog, or you can find it by clicking the Advanced Search button on the WKU Libraries home page.

The Advanced Search box is shown below. The search function is similar to the simple search on the library home page, except that the advanced search allows you to add new search lines where you can use additional search terms. 

Additionally, you can choose to search for only print materials, or only online materials, or you can search both together. You can also set the scope of the search to specific areas of the WKU libraries collection, or to search for electronic materials only. 

Advanced Search Tips

• You can place a search phrase in quotation marks (“ …. ”) to bring up results that contain that exact phrase.
• You can group search terms in parenthesis (    ) to identify terms that belong together.
• Remember the three main search operator terms:
  • Connect search terms with AND to limit results (pollution AND noise)
  • Connect search terms with OR to expand results (democrats OR republicans)
  • Use the term NOT to exclude certain results (pollution AND noise NOT music)
• Remember the two main wildcard operators:
  • Use a question mark (?) to search for multiple words with similar spellings: search for wom?n to find results containing both women and woman
  • Use an asterisk (*) to retrieve results that include various endings to the search word: search for educat* to find education, educator, educate, educating, and so forth.