Choosing Search Words

A search is based on terms separated by spaces. If you enter the word gold, the search engine will look for any record that contains this term. If you are not finding the materials you want, use the following tips to help focus or broaden your search terms, as needed.

Too Many Hits
If your search retrieves too many records, choose more specific search words:

  1. Avoid overly general subjects (e.g. war, women, building) which are likely to be found in most collections. Use the Synonym List for alternatives.

  2. Avoid category headings used to label each section in the bibliographic records. For example, photograph will appear in the MEDIUM section of every record of every photograph in American Memory.

  3. Look for Subject, Author, Geographic Location, or other lists, available from the home page of most collections. Important terms, used in the bibliographic records for that collection, will be listed and linked to a search for records containing those terms.

  4. Look for hot-linked Subjects and Authors terms, available inside most bibliographic records. These will be linked to searches for related records. The list returned will include related records found for all collections that were included in your original search request.

Too Few Hits
If your search retrieves too few records, choose less specific words, or add synonyms.

  1. Use the Synonym List for related terms.

  2. Look for Subject, Author, Geographic Location, or other lists, available from the home page of most collections. Important terms, used in the bibliographic records for that collection, will be listed and linked to a search for records containing those terms.

  3. Look for hot-linked Subjects and Authors listed inside a bibliographic record focusing on a subject of interest. These will be linked to searches for related records. The list returned will include related records found for all collections that were included in your original search request.

Missing Results
If you do not find materials you know should be included, try choosing words that were in use when the collection materials were created.

  1. Use older language usage rather than modern day usage. Language changes. For example, the following historical terms produce more "hits" than their modern day counterparts:

    Modern Usage Historical Usage
    gas, service station filling station
    African American Afro American, Negro
    voting rights suffrage

    Additional alternate terms may be found in the Synonym List.

  2. Use the names of towns, landmarks, bridges, and buildings in use at the time the collection materials were created.

  3. Search for nearest large town in existence at time the collection was created. Towns and cities rise and fall in importance over time.

  4. Note: Not all collections are searchable. (For details, see the Searchable American Memory Resources page.)

Some Words or Letters Are Ignored
The following are ignored by the InQuery:

  1. Case of letters (i.e. uppercase or lowercase)

  2. Some very common words, such as conjunctions, articles and prepositions (e.g. and, not, or the), are ignored.
    (These "stopwords" may be highlighted for you in bold, like regular search terms, in the bibliographic records that are returned.)


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