Help

Search

Use the Search page for keyword searches of names, titles, publishers, subjects and other descriptive information. Type either a single word, or a group of words into the search box to retrieve records containing all those terms. To search for a phrase, include the phrase within quotation marks. The search result will appear as a set of small images. Click on an image to display complete information. Use "and", "or", and "not" as operators to combine terms and phrases or numerals.

→ SEARCH        

Browse

This page provides separate scrolling menus for Countries of Origin, Subjects, Creators, and Title. To retrieve records by one of these categories, first browse through one of these lists using the scroll bar, highlight the term you wish to search for, and click the Search button. Note that you can not search across fields from this page; you can only choose one of the scrolling menus at a time. To search across all fields use Search page; to combine searches on specific fields use the >>SEARCH.

To change the number of records displayed on each page use the appropriate dropdown menu labeled "Results per page" before clicking the search button.

→ BROWSE        

Advanced Search

The advanced search screen allows you to construct Boolean searches using five indexes: "Keyword" (i.e. the entire record), "Title", "Description", "Creator", and "Country of origin". To search on only a single index type a phrase into only the top search box and choose an index from the pull-down menu.

Limit the search to a specific date range by entering four-digit years into each of the Date Range boxes. Choose the order in which results appear and the number appearing on each page from the "Sort results by" and "Results per page" drop-down menus.

To create a complex Boolean search enter search terms into more than one search box, starting from the top. Combine the searches with the "and", "or" or "not" operators.

All of the information above (see section on Search) about use of the wildcard character (%) and parentheses pertain when entering search terms into a search box in the Advanced (i.e. Boolean) Search. It is also true here that the "and" and "not" operations are performed before the "or" operation. To force an "or" operation to take precedence you must enter it into a single search box. For example, to find songs published by Berlin with the words "dixie" or "dixieland" in the title you would type:
     dixie or dixieland
in the first search box. Choose the "Title" index from the first dropdown menu. Choose the "and" operator to connect this with the second search box. Type
     berlin
in the second search box and choose the "Publisher" index. The search is thus:
     (dixie or dixieland) in title and berlin in Publisher
Note that there is no implied "and" operator in the Advanced Search. Words entered in each search box are treated as phrases. For this reason there is no need to use quotation marks to indicate phrases. Rather, if you wish words to be treated individually within a search box you must explicitly insert "and", "not" or "or" operators between them.

→ ADVANCED SEARCH        

Using Search Results

From the Search Results screen:

From the Full record screen:

Register and Sign In

You can make a Virtual Collection without registering or signing in, but if you register with a user ID and password the virtual collections you have saved will be stored and displayed in a separate list, which makes them easier to find. As a registered user you will also be able to:

	lock your collection
	protect the notes you have written
	choose whether or not to make the contents accessible to other users.

All collections saved by unregistered users are public, and may be viewed and changed by any other user.

In order to make use of all features of Virtual Collections you must first register. Click the login option on the navigation bar, and then click Register on the login screen. Please supply a login ID, a password, your name, and a valid email address. Your email address will be used for two purposes:

	To remind you of your password automatically if you forget.
	To supply an email destination for records that you save and send to yourself from the Virtual Collections screen.

Privacy Policy

We protect the privacy of users, collecting only such information as is supplied by users in order to provide access to the Virtual Collections service. No use will be made of users' identities other than to support this service.

Levels of Access and Protection in Virtual Collections

The following table shows options for creators of Virtual Collections. Only owners of collections can delete them. Collections without owners will be deleted annually.

→ SIGN IN        

Virtual Collections Tutorial

Virtual Collections is an application that allows any user to save personal collections of images and attach notes to the records. When you add a note you are not changing the original record; notes will only appear in your personal collection.

During any search, select and save records by clicking the Add button at the foot of the record on the search results page. These records will be added automatically to My Virtual Collection. To view the records you have selected, click my virtual collection on the navigation bar.

With a virtual collection you can use the buttons on the left to —

open	Open a collection that you have previously saved. Please save your current virtual collection before opening another one. If you have logged in as a registered user, any collections you have saved will appear at the head of the list. Collections made by unregistered users appear in All Other Virtual Collections.
save	Save your current virtual collection with a Title and Curator name. Choose whether your collection will be Private, Public, or Protected. Private Collections cannot viewed by other users. Public Collections are open to all users. Protected Collections are either: Unlocked (supply a pass code that allows selected users to view only) or, Locked (supply a pass code that allows selected users to edit) Notes: If you wish one user group to view only, and another to have rights to edit, you must save the collection twice under different names. Be careful to record the pass codes you have issued to users. The site does not currently support pass code recovery.
save as	If you have already saved this virtual collection, use this option to save the collection with a different title. (see the section on updating a virtual collection below)
email	Send the content of your virtual collection to yourself or another recipient by entering the email address. The message will contain URLs that you can store in order to retrieve the records again. If you are a registered user, and you have logged in, the application will fill out your email address automatically.
clear	Deletes the entire content of this virtual collection. To delete only one record from the collection, click the clear button below the record.

Adding Notes to Records

You can create a note at any time during a search by clicking add a note beneath the record. Any records to which you add a note will be saved by default in your current virtual collection.

You can also attach a note to any record in a Virtual Collection by clicking view full record. This will launch another window. Type the note and save by clicking Add Note. Close the Full Record window to add this record to the current virtual collection. Next time current virtual collection is pressed on the navigation bar this record will display the note. To edit the note, launch the full record again, change the note, and save.

Virtual Collections : Options for Registered Users

When saving a collection, registered users have the following options —

Choose whether to make your collection private, public, or protected. If you choose "protected" you can now supply a pass code (pass code 1) that will allow other users to view only, or view and edit. If you allow other users to edit, you must supply a second pass code (pass code 2). Users logging on with either pass code 1 or pass code 2 will have the rights you have defined. You may supply both a view pass code and a view/edit pass code if you wish to share your collection with different groups that have different rights.

Viewing and Editing Virtual Collections

When you open a Virtual Collection that you or another user has saved you will receive a message warning that your current virtual collection will be lost. Always save your current virtual collection before opening another.

If you log in as a registered user and click virtual collections on the navigation bar the virtual collections you have saved will be displayed at the head of the list. The Owner Access column displays a View / Edit / Delete command button for each collection, and the Access Level box indicates the state of each collection. As a registered owner you can view, edit, or delete any collection you have made. If you saved your collection as "private" only you can see it; if you saved your collection as "public" any user can view and edit it. Distribute pass code 1 or pass code 2 to other users according to the rights you wish to grant.

The screen also displays All Other Virtual Collections. You can view and edit these when a command button appears in the Public Access column to the right. If the owner of a collection has created a pass code allowing other users to either view (pass code 1) or edit (pass code 2) a collection, a command button appears in the Password Access column. Click one of these buttons and supply the appropriate pass code.

Updating a Virtual Collection

Any records that you add during a search will be added automatically to your current virtual collection. If you have already made a virtual collection (either private or public) and now wish to add records to it, take the following steps:

Open the virtual collection that you wish to update (this collection now becomes your current virtual collection).

Search for additional items that you wish to add using any of the search features.

Click add on any record to add this record to the collection that has already been saved with a title.

When you have finished adding records you may either save this collection again with the original title, or, by clicking the save as button, give the altered collection a different title.

→ MY VIRTUAL COLLECTION        

→ ALL VIRTUAL COLLECTIONS