Folger catalog search tips

This article covers search tips for the Folger Shakespeare Library's online catalog. In what follows, we will cover several approaches for searching the catalog, from the least to the most advanced search methods.

How Catalog Searching Works

Library catalogs use structured data to describe items in their collections. As a result of this structure, it is possible to search specific pieces of data across all items in the catalog. For example, catalog librarians always enter the title of an item in a part of the data that is designated as the part for recording titles. This makes it possible for the catalog to offer a search of just the titles across all items in the collection. The following search tips rely heavily on the idea of being able to search discrete pieces of data across most items in the catalog.

Simple Search Tips

If you enter your search term(s) in the search box, the catalog will look for the search term(s) in all parts of all records in the catalog. This can be useful if you are looking for a term that will probably not show up in many catalog records. As an example, this search for shirt only has a few dozen results.

Where the simple search is usually not helpful is when you are searching for a term that is likely to show up frequently in catalog records. At the Folger, doing a simple search for Shakespeare is usually not helpful because that term shows up in tens of thousands of catalog records. If you're interesting in searching for works by or about Shakespeare, see below for some search tips.

Searching within a Collection

Underneath the search box, there are collections of records that are broken out by year of creation or publication, format, or other grouping. Before starting your search, you can select one of those collections or sub-collections. This will take you to a new page with a new search box, where you can search just within that collection.

Under the Books & Serials collection, you will find three sub-collections that may require some explanation:

• Incunabula - comes from the Latin for 'cradle', referring to the very beginning of printing. These are works published until 1501.
• STC imprints - refers to works listed in Pollard, A.W. Short-title catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, & Ireland and of English books printed abroad, 1475-1640 (2nd ed.).
• Wing imprints - refers to works listed in Wing, D.G. Short-title catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and British America, and of English books printed in other countries, 1641-1700 (2nd ed.). Wing picked up where Pollard's STC ended.

If You Need Help Finding Anything in the Catalog

Sometimes the best way to search a library catalog is by asking a librarian for help! We know our collections well and we also know about past cataloging practices at our institution - two things that put us at an advantage when doing searches. Please contact reference@folger.edu so that we can assist you with your search.

If you think you've found incorrect information in the catalog, or you have a question about why something is described in a particular way, please feel free to email [[1]].