Using the Library Catalog

Huie and Riley-Hickingbotham libraries share III, an online public access catalog by Innovative Interfaces. It is web-based, so, patrons have global access and only need a standard Web browser with Internet access to remotely browse the library's catalog from any place at any time. Patrons can search in a variety of ways:13
 

OPAC

The Millennium OPAC is a tool with an interactive interface that enable unprecedented customization for library patrons.  Library patrons can log on through their patron record and:14 

•  
  1.  Sort items by check-out date and due date
  2. Build, modify, and add to preferred searches
  3. Suggest titles for library acquisition 14 
   

Searching

Advanced Searching in Millenium brings the power and functionality of an Internet search engine to the library's catalog. With its combinable search functions, Advanced Searching provides accurate, exact information immediately, from anywhere in the OPAC (see bottom of the Advanced Search screen for search tips) 

• Keyword Searches
  
  • 1. By field (global or specified)
    2. In combinations from different fields
    3. By any letter, indexed symbol or number (from a single character to unlimited word lengths, including characters such as "#" and "*")
    4. Ability to pre-limit searches¹⁵ 
     
   
• Adjacency Searches
  
  • 1. Within any indexed or specified field
    2. From any point in a field
    3. In combination with multiple phrase searches from any/all fields)¹⁵  
     
   
• Proximity Searches
  
  • 1. Default proximity (within ten words)
    2. User-defined proximity
    3. Locatable in specified or reverse order¹⁵  
     
   
• Relevance Ranking
  
  • 1. By inverse word frequency
    2. By phrase position in bibliographic records
    3. Library can customize the default hierarchy of indexed fields
    4. Relevance is computed using the AltaVista relevance-ranking algorithm
    5. Relevance display to the user can be as a percentage or graphical as defined by the library¹⁵  
     
   

Scoping

Scoping, a function of Advanced Searching in Millenium, allows patrons to select search parameters that work best for them. Searches can be confined from their beginning, to a subset of the database (e.g., a particular material type, or locations and material types in combination). Go to the Advanced Search screen to select the scope of your search:  

1. For a novel written in Spanish, set language to Spanish
2. For a reference item in Huie Library's collection, set Location to HSU Reference Collection
3. For a popular movie, set Material Type to PROJ MEDIUM
4. The scope of searches can also be limited to a set number of years, to a particular publisher, ¹⁶