Yorkline Users' Guide

• Introduction
• Yorkline Public Access Choices
• Search options
• Keyword search options
• Keyword search tips
• Navigating

• E-mailing, Downloading or Printing Records
• Locations
• Remote access to Yorkline
• Searching Yorkline via Lynx
• How to find reserve materials in Yorkline

Library Catalogue
York University's catalogue of library holdings.

Reserve Desk
Provides lists of course materials set aside by instructors.

User Status
Provides information on library patron loans and fines.

Title
Choose this option when you know the title you are looking for. This search looks for a match of your search terms. If Yorkline cannot find a match, it will display a "browse list" of the closest matches. Omit initial articles. (e.g., a, an, the, le, la, les, etc.)

Author
Choose this option to find works written by a particular author. This search looks for a match of your search term. Enter the author's last name. If the last name is common, type the complete last name followed by the author's first name or initial. (e.g., Atwood M). If Yorkline cannot find a match it will display a 'browse list' of the closest matches.

Keyword
Choose this option for an easy 'fill-in-the-blanks' template allowing you to search by combining "keywords" in specific fields (e.g., author, title, etc.) of a record

Subject
Choose this option to browse through catalogue entries by scanning alphabetical lists of subject headings. The closest match to your search will appear on line 7. Yorkline uses Library of Congress Subject Headings.

Periodical Title
Choose this option to see if the Libraries subscribe to specific journals, magazines or newspapers. This search looks for a match of your search terms. If Yorkline cannot find a match it will display a 'browse list' of the closest matches. Omit initial articles .

Series
Choose this option when you know the series title you are looking for. This search looks for a match of your search terms. If Yorkline cannot find a match, it will display a 'browse list' of the closest match. Omit initial articles.

Call Number
An item's call number identifies its shelf position. To find an item by call number, enter all or the first part of the call number (e.g., HD 5430). The result of a call number browse is a list of call numbers that begin with the characters as specified. The closest match to your search will appear on line 7. Most items have Library of Congress (LC) call numbers ( e.g. PS 8501 T86 H36). Some items have text call numbers such as those assigned to government documents, sound recordings etc.(e.g.CAN1 CS8.5 13 or DISC ECM.1050CD).

Use to retrieve items in which both keywords are present in the bibliographic record.
e.g., women and shakespeare

Use to specify that keywords must be next to one another in the bibliographic record, and in the order specified. Note - treat hyphenated words as two words and connect them with the adj operator.
e.g., french adj canadian. An alternative way to search a phrase is to put your terms in single quotes e.g., ‘anorexia nervosa'.

Use to retrieve items in which keywords are in the same "field" of the bibliographic record. (e.g., author field, title field, subject field, etc.) If you don't specify an operator, same is the default.

Use to retrieve items in which keywords are next to one another in the bibliographic record, but in any order.

Use to retrieve items in which keywords are in the same sentence.

Use to retrieve items in which at least one of the keywords is present in the bibliographic record.
e.g., labor or labour

Use to specify that the keyword immediately following not won't appear in the records retrieved. Note - this operator should be used with caution as it can eliminate relevant items!
e.g., (water and pollution) not air

• To search an operator as a word, put it in double quotes. You can search in two different ways:
  
  1. e.g. '"near" death experience'
  2. e.g. "near" adj death adj experience

• Avoid using a very general term alone (e.g., Canada), as it will retrieve far too many records, many irrelevant. Instead, combine terms with others to make your search more specific.
  e.g., canada and history and constitution

Parentheses

Complex keyword searches may be clarified by using parentheses to express the relationships among keywords. e.g. (jazz or ragtime) and (music adj analysis)

Use $ to retrieve records with varying endings. For example, forest$ searches forest, forests, forestry, forestation, etc. Avoid truncating with very short words, though (e.g., for$) as you will retrieve large numbers of irrelevant items.

Use ? to substitute for a single character. For example, wom?n retrieves items with the term women as well as woman.

Forward and Backward -- To move through a list of records

GoBack -- To return to the previous screen level.

NewSearch -- To start a new search of the same type.

Home -- To return to the opening screen in Yorkline.

X-Ref -- For cross-references related to your search term(s).

EXIT -- To exit Yorkline and go back to the Library home page.

View a record -- When you view a record, the relevant bibliographic information is displayed (e.g., author, title, publication information, subject headings, etc.). The call number and library shelving location appear at the end of the record. You can mark the record for emailing/downloading/printing by checking the blank box at the top of the record.

View Options -- To select FULL, BRIEF, or ALL display of the record. The default view is FULL.

Text which is underlined and highlighted signals a hypertext link to another catalogue entry. Try expanding your search by following links to related entries.