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Hints and tips for searching online book databases

Analysis of some 18,000 searches on online book databases has shown that around 25% of unsuccessful searches yield no results not because the books searched for aren't present but because the searcher doesn't understand how the search system worked and how it should be used.

Following the hints below should increase your success rate when searching through books for sale on online databases.

These hints, whilst originally written specifically for the ukbookworld.com database, apply to most large booksearch websites.


 
1.  Always search for as few words as possible
    Most searches on book search engines fail because the searcher is providing too much information, not too little.

    When searching, type as few words as possible (two words in total - at most three - are usually sufficient) and use only the author's surname unless first names are really necessary.  Most importantly, leave most fields (or boxes) empty.  Entering too much information will produce no results at all.

    This is because, unlike general search engines such as Google or Yahoo, booksearch databases look for ALL the words you enter in ALL the fields.  So typing something in every field will bring you fewer results, not more, and will almost certainly miss out on finding what you want if even if it's really there.

    The more you enter, the less likely it is that individual booksellers will have provided exactly the same detail as you have entered and the chances of you getting no hits at all will increase.  For example, if you're searching for a precise title then don't include a subject/keyword category as the cataloguer may not have used the same subject category or keyword as yourself.
 
2.  Are you sure every name or word is spelled correctly?
    It's also possible that you've mis-spelled or mis-typed one of the name or words you're searching for.

    Mis-spelling or mis-typing is a very frequent reason for getting no results, particularly where names are concerned.  I've seen someone do five consecutive unsuccessfull searches for titles by John Braine.  Unfortunately, in each search, whilst they got the title correct they missed the e off the end of the author's surname and so were searching fruitlessly for Brain.

    So, unless you're absolutely certain of the spelling of everything you're looking for, try again, omitting any doubtful name or word.

    Even if you're certain of your spelling, it's always possible that the cataloguer might have mis-spelled a word.  So, if you get no results, omit any word or name that you think might have been mis-spelled by someone else and search for some other element of the book likely to produce the same result.

    Incidentally, book databases are NOT case-sensitive.  It doesn't matter whether you look for elephants or ElePhanTs.

 
3.  Searching for a specific title - 'two word search' technique
    If you are looking for a specific title, leave the Publisher/Date and Subject(s) fields completely empty (i.e. don't enter anything in those fields) unless absolutely necessary for your search.

    Also don't search for the author's full name and the complete title.  Most of the time, entering merely two words - the author's main name and a single word from the title - is sufficient.

    For example, entering Ellery Queen in the author field and The Spanish Cape Mystery. A Problem in Deduction in the title field is providing far too much detail.  This search would miss any entries where the bookseller has catalogued his entry as being by merely E. Queen or has omitted the second part of the title.

    In this case, looking for merely Queen as the author and Spanish as the title will restrict the hits to the title you are looking for.

    This simple two word search technique works most of the time whatever you are looking for and will improve your search success rate tremendously.
 
4.  Repeat a search using different search words
    If your search involves keywords, be aware that different booksellers often provide different keywords for the same title resulting in inconsistency in the way in which books are keyworded throughout the stocklist as a whole.

    If you search for the word, say, medicine, and a bookseller hasn't provided that subject keyword for a particular title but instead has used the word medical, then that copy won't show up in your search.

    So, try searching using different words.  Or, a very effective technique is to employ the * wildcard to broaden your search by, for example, searching for medic* which would return any keyword starting with medic such as medicine, medicines, medical or medicinary (see paragraph 7 for more details).
 
5.  Use of Publisher/Date field
    Don't enter anything in the Publisher/Date field unless it is absolutely necessary.  Many cataloguers don't mention the publisher's name or, if they do, only in abbreviated form.

    If you search for any name or word in this field which the cataloguer hasn't provided then you won't find the book.
 
6.  Use of Keyword or Subject field
    The Keyword or Subject(s) field (depending on which database you're using) enables you to locate selections of books by subject area.  For example, entering Asia will locate any books where the booksellers concerned have included Asia in their keyword or subject area details.

    However, DON'T use this field if you are searching for a known specific title.  Any bookseller with a copy may not have included the book in the same subject area as you are looking for.

    Also bear in mind that, as mentioned earlier, the search looks for ALL the words you enter.  Searching for Asia and Anthropology will locate only those titles where by chance booksellers have decided to include BOTH the same two keywords.

    Finally, it's worth thinking about whether to search for words in the singular or the plural.  Some booksellers might keyword a travel book as travel, others as travels.  So, if you're interested in travel books, consider doing separate searches for each (not both at the same time of course!).  There are many other keywords or subject areas where this same singular or plural option might apply.
 
7.  Using wildcards to enhance your search
    The symbols * and ? can be used as wildcards in some databases to enhance your search.  This is particularly useful when searching for subject areas or dates.

    Adding * searches for any number of letters at the end of words, including no additional letters.  For example, art* will find art, artistic, artistry, artificial, etc.  This is useful when looking for words which might have been provided either in the singular or plural.  travel* will find both travel and travels (as well as any other word commencing with travel...).

    ? can be used in the middle of a word in the position of the unknown letter if you're uncertain of any letter in the spelling.  For example, Co?per will find Cooper, Cowper and Copper.

    However, ? is probably most useful in date or number searching.  191? in the publisher field in the ukbookworld.com database will find any date between 1910 and 1919 for example.
 
8.  The order of words you type is unimportant
    The order of words that you type in any one field is irrelevant.  London History and History London will find the same books as the search engine looks for any occurrence of those two words anywhere in the field in question.
 
9.  Don't use 'human conversation' search phrases
    Don't enter conversational words and phrases such as Anything or Any books by this author as if you were asking a human being.  All that will happen is that the computer will look for any books containing those exact words in the field in question - and then find nothing at all.

    Merely leaving the box empty will have the desired effect.  Leaving a field empty effectively means Anything without having to type it.


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