How to Search the Collection on the New Website
- Val Waldron
This article serves as introduction on how to search the HathiTrust collection using our new interface. Please note that the back end of our search (including our search algorithms) have not changed with the launch of our new website. However, since the interface looks a little different, it may be beneficial to read through this article as you get acclimated to the new website.
Please see our help article on Searching the Collection for a more thorough guide on search.
- 1 Basic Search Tips
- 1.1 Searching the Collection vs. Searching Informational Pages on Our Website
- 1.2 Doing a “Full-Text” Search vs. Doing a “Catalog” Search
- 1.3 Selecting How You Would Like Your Search Results to Be Sorted
- 1.4 Navigating the Search Results Page
- 1.5 Add items from your search results to one of your personal collections
- 2 Advanced Search Tips
- 3 Related articles
Basic Search Tips
Searching the Collection vs. Searching Informational Pages on Our Website
To search the HathiTrust collection (as opposed to the informational pages on our website), be sure to select “Collection” from the drop-down menu that is just to the right of the field you would use to enter search terms:
Doing a “Full-Text” Search vs. Doing a “Catalog” Search
On our old website, we provided the option of selecting “Full-text” or “Catalog” to differentiate between searching all the text of all the books in our collection, vs. searching just the book information, such as Title or Author:
Doing a “full-text” search on the new website: You can select Full Text & All Fields from the drop-down menu to search all the text of all the volumes in the entire digital library. This option will also include searching all information fields in our catalog, such as Title or Author. Search results are at the item level, so there will be a lot of results. Using this type of search also allows you to add your search results to a personal collection.
Doing a “catalog” search on the new website: Choose All Fields from the drop-down menu. This search will allow you to search only book information, such as Title, Publisher, and Author. Search results are grouped under catalog records, so there will be fewer results. Using this search does not allow you to add your results to a personal collection.
You can search using other specific fields in the dropdown menu when you know the exact Title, Publisher, Author, or other book information. Using this type of search also allows you to sort the results by what you select in the drop-down menu.
Selecting How You Would Like Your Search Results to Be Sorted
To sort your search results, please select one of the fields from the dropdown menu: for example, Title, Author, etc. If you search using “Full-Text & All Fields,” we don’t provide the sort capability because there are typically too many search results to make that feasible.
Navigating the Search Results Page
By default, your search results will include only the texts that you can view in full — also known as “Full View.” These titles are available for you to access because they are in the public domain or licensed as open access. Once you reach the search results page, you can also include texts that are restricted by copyright in your search results by specifying “All Items” under "Item Viewability.”
Add items from your search results to one of your personal collections
This option will only be available if you choose the option “Full Text & All Fields” from the drop-down menu in the search bar.
Please see our help article on Building Your Own Collections for step-by-step instructions on how to add items from your search results to one of your personal collections.
Advanced Search Tips
On our old website, we had two different interfaces for Advanced Search: Advanced full-text search and Advanced catalog search.
On our new website, Advanced Search has been combined into one interface. To get there from the main page, click on “Advanced Search” just underneath the search bar:
The Advanced Search interface will allow you to search in a variety of ways:
You could search the full text and all book information fields by selecting “Full Text & All Fields.”
You could search all book information fields in the catalog by selecting “All Fields.”
You could search specific fields in the catalog (title, author, etc.) by selecting them from the drop-down menu.
You could search using any combination of these options by selecting the operator of your choice (AND/OR) in between each search bar.
Use the AND operator if you would like your search results to include only items that match both of your search terms.
Use the OR operator if you would like your search results to include items matching either of your search terms.
Search Results for Advanced Search
By default, you search results will show you all of the records from the catalog that match your advanced search. They will not show you results at the item level (individual issues within a journal, for example). You will also not be able to add results from your advanced search to one of your personal collections by default.
However, you can check the Always use the Full Text Index option to to display search results at the item level, which will also enable you to add your search results to one of your personal collections.
You can also choose whether your search results will show you:
Only the items in the collection that you can view in full (items that are in the public domain, opened as federal documents, opened by permission of the copyright holder, etc.). OR
All items in the collection, regardless of whether you have the ability to view them in full.
To choose between these options, look for “View options” in the “Additional Search Options” section.
For more information about what you can view and download in the collection, please see our help article on What You Can Download from the Collection.