Boolean Logic

When using words or terms in different text boxes, a relationship between them needs to be specified, so the Catalog knows how to treat them. Between the textbox lines are radio dials that determine how words or terms in DIFFERENT textboxes will be connected to each other. You can use the radio dials instead of the drop-down menus described above, or in conjunction with them to create complex relationships between sets of words. The different options are:

• AND (with next set) - Searches the Catalog for item records that contain both of the words, terms or phrases entered. For example, a search for religion AND politics retrieves only records that contain both "religion" and "politics". In the example pictured above, a search for religious faith (as a phrase) AND politics, finds records that contain the phrase "religious faith" and the word "politics".
• OR (with next set) - Searches the Catalog for item records that contain any of the words or terms entered. For example, a search for religion OR faith retrieves only records that contain either "religion" or "faith", or both words.
• NOT (with next set) - Searches the Catalog for item records that contain the first (preceding) term but exclude those that contain the second (following) term. For example, a search for religious NOT faith retrieves item records containing the word "religious", as long as they do not contain the word "faith".

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Last Revised: MS - 10/30/2007