Web Catalogues - Help file
What's New?
The library catalogue and journals database are run on Filemaker Pro. The new interface echoes the layout of this database software.
On the left hand side there is a window which allows you to access additional functions, although most of what you need should be accessible from the main window. Click on the small arrow at the top of the divider (beside the search icon) to hide this area. There are some useful tools here which are detailed below.
You can hover your pointer over icons to find out what they do:
Browse: The
book image with arrows on the pages controls where you are in a list of searched
items. Click on the arrows to move up and down the list. In Search
Results format this will page up and down the list, in Search Details format
you can move from one record to another without returning to the Search Results
list. You can also skip through results by typing in numbers into the
box below the book Image
Sort: The
A-Z icon allows you to sort the records by a variety of criteria. You
will see this pop-up window if you select Sort.
You may want to start by clearing the current setting (Clear All) then highlight a field in the left hand column and click >Move>.
Searching
If you type a word into one of our search fields it will search for the word
plus other words that begin the same, eg, typing in child will
also retrieve children. If you cannot retrieve the
information you are looking for try removing a search term when using more
than one word before you give up.
Keyword
These are more like subject headings For example, if you are searching
for information on Inclusion you could type that word into
this search field and it should retrieve all our titles about that topic.
Author Name
Searches full personal names and organisation names. Most organisations
which have well recognised acronyms are searchable by acronym as well as by the
full name, eg, RNIB, RNID.
Title
Avoid words such as The or A as these have
been removed from the beginning of all titles.
Classified subjects
This is based on our classification scheme. Can be useful for identifying
broader lists of materials but is not recommended to be used with the Title
or Keyword fields.
Publication Type
Use this either to narrow your search when looking for a particular format
such as video, or you could, for example, retrieve all our journal titles
in one list.
Logout: It would be helpful if you could remember to logout once you have finished using the database. This function takes you to a database menu page which has access to our other public databases.
If you have any difficulty using or accessing this database, please contact the Library Manager.
Telephone 0131 651 6069
Textphone 0131 651 6067