Skip to Main Content
Albert S. Cook Library

Art Education

Database Searching

Database searching is not as intuitive as searching on the internet. Here are a few tricks to help find what you are looking for.

AND - Adding this connector will search for information containing multiple search terms

Example: Groot AND Rocket=  information on BOTH Groot & Rocket

OR - This connector will search for articles BOTH terms, they do not need to be present together

Example: Captain America OR Steve Rodgers = information that has associated terms.

NOT - This will limit search results that include the secondary term

Example: Avengers NOT Guardians of the Galaxy = information that doesn't mention Guardians of the Galaxy


Using the asterisk (*) will truncate the end of a word, widening the net you cast in your search

Example: cubis* = cubism, cubist, cubists

Using quotation marks around a phrase or concept of more than two words will ensure that the concept will be searched for as a whole. 

Example: searching Public Art will bring back information that mentions the terms: Public and Art separately. "Public Art" = results that feature these words together as a term.

Database searching requires the use of keywords. Many will look similar to the image below if you opt to use "advanced search". Each concept gets its own search bar (notice the word "AND" connecting them). Synonyms share the search bar with like terms, using OR to connect them.