Simple tips on using this search engine
Structure
The Who's Who data is stored in the following fields: NAME, CATEGORY, CREDIT, TENURE
- NAME
always contains the name of the entity being described: for a person it is usually in the form "Family Name", "Given Name". For an organization it is the proper name.
-
CATEGORY
describes the nature of the information stored in the record
e.g. "Education" or "Performing Arts"
-
CREDIT
contains the record details. Format will vary depending on category of the information stored.
-
TENURE
stores the year(s) this record relates to, if applicable, in the form "68 69 70" etc
Basic Searches
A basic search will return any records that contain the search terms in any of the fields, without regard for the order of the words.
neal adams or adams neal will give the same result.
Searches are not case sensitive (Capital letters are treated like lower case letters in searches.)
To search for a specific phrase, put double quotation marks around it e.g. "comic book".
Search terms must be at least two characters long or they are ignored.
Advanced Searches
To limit the search to a specific field, prefix the search term with one of the following codes:
- name:adams or name:"adams, neal"
to search only the name field.
-
cat:"pen names"
to search only the category field.
-
credit:"record jacket"
to search only the credit field.
-
tenure:69 tenure:75 or tenure:"69 75" or tenure:" 8"
to search just the tenure field
The difference between the first two examples is that the second will return records in 1969 and 1975 but only if the years between the two dates are missing.
The third example above (with the leading space) returns all records from the decade of the 1980s. Replace the “8” with the number of the decade of your choice. Don’t forget the space and quotation marks.
The display of the Tenure field is optional. You can search on it without displaying it. The hide/show switch is at the top of the record display.
Terms can be combined in the same search:
- name:neal tenure:"69 70"
will return only those records where the name field contains "neal" AND the tenure field contains "69 70"
Once the initial search has returned results, subsequent searches can be made either:
- within the found records (to narrow down the search)
- to exclude results (eliminate records you are not interested in)
- to add to the results (expanding the search)
To start again with a blank search, click the reset button under the current search details.
BEST RESULTS: When specifying a search on a particular field, use quotes to
clarify the meaning. The search engine reads these three options differently.
- credit:hi yo
- credit:"hi yo"
- credit:"hi" credit:"yo"
(1) means: search the CREDIT field for "hi" and the entire record for "yo".
(2) means: search the CREDIT field only for the combination "hi yo".
(3) means: search the CREDIT field for "hi" and then search the credit field for "ho".
If you don't observe these syntactical rules, some results may seem flaky. Computers are rule-bound critters.
Sorting & Paging
Various sort options are available. The choice "biography" restores the original order of the records.
You can change the number of records displayed. 100 is the default setting.
The paging information looks like this:
<< < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 > >>
The page you are looking at will be in bold face type.
Clicking on another number will call up that page.
Clicking on < or > moves one page backward or forward.
Clicking on << or >> moves to the front or last page respectively.
Privacy
The Who's Who collects no information other than the search terms you provide. The site does not use cookies.
Feedback
Selecting this choice will address an email to the database manager. Please be sure to provide all information needed to clarify your comments. Thank you.