Help

Searching ArchivUL

To start searching archival collections, follow the steps detailed below:

 

  1. Enter search terms


    Type your search terms in the Search field at the top of the page. Click the Search icon to run your search:


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  2. Refine your search


    Refine your search using the filters on the left-hand side of the search results:


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  3. Improve accuracy of results


    To search for an exact phrase, use double quotes around the terms. For example, search "River Shannon" to find results with those exact words in that order. By default, ArchivUL uses the AND Boolean operator when you enter multiple search terms. This means a search for River Shannon will return results containing both River AND Shannon, but the terms may appear in any order and not necessarily together:


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  4. Ensure your search is comprehensive


    Ensure you find all relevant results by using the Boolean operator OR in your searches. For example, searching "River Shannon" OR fishing will return results containing either term:


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  5. Use wildcards


    You can enhance your searches in ArchivUL using wildcard symbols such as ? and *. The question mark ? substitutes for any single character, making it useful for finding words with different spellings, such as US and UK spelling variations. For example, searching for wom?n will return both woman and women. The asterisk * represents multiple characters within a word or at the end of a word. For example, searching for histor* will return results such as history, histories, historic, and more:

 

Advanced search

If you wish to make your search in ArchivUL more specific, use the Advanced search options:


 
The Scope and content description provides a summary of a collection's focus and lists the items it contains. Use Advanced search to refine your search to the Scope and content of an archival item:


 
You can also limit your search to items within a specific date range using Advanced search:


 

Using search filters

To filter your search in ArchivUL for archival items with digital images, follow the steps detailed below:


  1. Enter search term


    Enter your search term and click the search icon:


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  2. Select digital objects


    Select the option to Show results with digital objects:


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  3. Select digital object


    Select the relevant image to view the item in more detail: