Advanced Searching

• Select Search Preferences
• Search by Selected Collection(s)
• Search by Selected Field(s)
• Use the Browse Terms Dictionary
• Browse a Collection
• View Search Results
• My Favorites

Advanced Search allows you to limit your search to particular collection(s) or field(s), to browse through a list of keywords in each field or a set of images in each collection, or to change the parameters of your search by setting search preferences.

Selecting Advanced Search opens an HTML Search Client, which defaults to the Search Collection interface. To exit Advanced Search and return to the King County Snapshots Web site, close the HTML Search Client window.

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Select Search Preferences

The default search mode uses an implied "and" to match your search words. If you wish to change this setting, use the Preferences button (the furthest button to the right of the blue Search button) to establish your preferred search mode and click OK.

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Search by Selected Collection(s)

Choose the collections you wish to search by clicking Select Collections, located at the bottom left of the screen. A list of available collections will be displayed. Select the collection(s) you wish to search by placing a check mark in the appropriate box(es). Click OK to return to the search page.

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Search by Selected Field(s)

Select a field or select multiple fields (up to four) for your search. Use the dropdown lists to choose fields other than the defaults shown. Note that field names vary slightly among collections. All fields used by the database to provide access to the materials will be listed; most users find the fields near the top of the dropdown list the most effective for searching.

Type your search terms into the text boxes or use the Browse Terms dictionary (see below).

Search Across All Fields can be chosen as well. However, it may bring up a large result set.

Click the blue Search button below the fields on the left to submit your criteria to the database.

Select Clear (to the right of Search) to remove all search keywords and start over.

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Use the Browse Terms Dictionary

If you have chosen to search in only one collection, you can use the Browse Terms dictionary, which appears on the right side of the HTML Search Client window. It displays an alphabetical list of words that can be used as search terms. Depending on the search field you select from the Browse Terms dropdown list—Date, Photographer, or Subjects, for example—different browse terms will appear. The list includes all words occurring in that collection's metadata.

Select a browse term by clicking on the word to make it appear in the corresponding search field. (Note: To add additional words to your search field without replacing the initial entry, you must type into the search field directly).

Click the blue Search button below the fields on the left to submit your criteria to the database.

Select Clear (to the right of Search) to remove all search keywords and start over.

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Browse a Collection

Using the Browse feature at the top of the page, you can page through images in a single collection without specifying any search keywords.

Select the collection you wish to browse from the dropdown list.

CONTENTdm will display a page of thumbnail images. Click on an image or its title to view it or to retrieve its metadata. Use the Image and Description tabs at the top to move between the two. Use the links beneath the images to move through the collection.

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View Search Results

The first four results of your search will appear as a row of small images with titles. Underneath the image set, the total number of results will be listed. Your results may go on to additional pages; click the Forward and Backward buttons to navigate through your results.

Result sets always appear in alphabetical order by the image's title.

To view an image and its associated information, or metadata, click on the small thumbnail image or title of your choice within the results set. Images or metadata will open in a new browser window. Use the Image and Description tabs at the top to move between the two.

In the Advanced Search mode, the metadata records do not contain hyperlinks.

To return to search results, simply minimize or close the new browser window containing the selected image.

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My Favorites

My Favorites offers users a way to bookmark their findings for easy access.

The My Favorites feature requires cookies. If your Web browser does not allow cookies to be saved on your computer, you may not be able to use My Favorites without changing your Web browser's privacy settings.

Items can be added to a personal Favorites folder when searching or browsing in the HTML Search Client. The option to add an item to your Favorites is available anytime you click on a thumbnail image to view the full-size image display. Click on Add to My Favorites in the top right-hand corner above the image.

When browsing or searching a collection, the link to view Favorites is labeled My Favorites and is displayed in the upper right of the page.

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