Help with searching New Zealand Index

Introduction

New Zealand Index is a database which combines thirteen sources of indexed records and the full text of NZ Herald Family + Notices:

A query across of all sources will search through more than 3 million records.

To find out more about these sources click on their names in the list above.

Simple Searching

  • To get started, at the query form, simply type a word or words that you would expect to find in documents of interest to you.
  • Stemming - the Topic Search Engine searches for word stems by default e.g. tax will retrieve documents containing tax, taxes, taxation but not taxi.
  • To force an exact match, e.g. "tax" place speech marks around the word. (documents retrieved will contain the word tax.)
  • Wildcard truncation The query tax* will retrieve all words beginning with the string tax, thus documents retrieved would contain tax, taxes, taxation and taxi.
  • Phrase searching - you may search for a phrase by typing in the words in consecutive order, separated by spaces. For example, asian crisis
    Where and is part of the phrase, e.g. pulp "and" paper. - Use speech marks around the word "and" to ensure that the query is treated as a phrase. (Without the speech marks the search engine will assume that you are looking for documents containing both words, but in any order).

    • People Name Search

    Index records are compiled according to strict library cataloguing standards. A person's name in a catalogue appears as surname first, then first names separated by a comma. To be absolutely sure of retrieving a person's name therefore, enter your search thus; ross and ritchie. This will retrieve index records where the artist's name is recorded as Ross Ritchie and also as Ritchie, Ross.

    Sample Search

    Formulate your query: - what is it you want to find?

    e.g. You have been asked to find out about the Asian financial crisis.

    • Type in your query: asia and (crisis or downturn)
    • Restrict your search to current records by selecting the appropriate boxes.
    • Sort the Results by Date or by Title

    n.b. Before you hit the search button, remember to select the collection you wish to search - if you do not select a publication the results of your search will be NIL!

    Boolean Operators:

    Using <and> <or> <not>

    • Use these connectors to make more specific queries.
      For example, asia and crisis will identify documents containing both these words but in any order.
    • In contrast, asia or crisis will return vastly more results because you have broadened the search to documents which contain either word!
    • Searching for asia and not crisis will narrow the search to documents containing the word asia but not the word crisis.
      (n.b. you do not have to use angle brackets around the operators in these queries).

    Proximity Searching:

    Using proximity operators such as: <near> <phrase> <sentence> and <paragraph>.

    • Exact phrase: - used by default if you separate words with spaces.eg fishing boat
    • To retrieve Lewis & Enting you would type: lewis enting (an ampersand is not a searchable character).
    • Proximity operators must be defined with the words surrounded by angle brackets. eg electronic <sentence> publishing
    • Near e.g. asia <near> crisis returns 424 documents - the closer the words appear in the document the higher they are scored.
    • Near/within - e.g. asia <near/5> crisis - returns 164 documents containing crisis within 5 words of asia.

    Searching by Date:

    Simply edit the Date range boxes at the bottom of the search screen to limit your search to particular date.

    Zone or Field Searching:

    NZ Index Zones:
    • Title
    • Source
    • Subjects
    • Date - see searching by date.
    You may restrict your search to any of the zones available by clicking the appropriate check boxes on the search screen e.g. in the first search box put your keywords and click on All for your zone button, then in the second search box you can restrict your search to say, the magazine Unlimited, by putting unlimited in the search box and clicking on Source for your zone button.

    Displaying Records:

    • Records may be displayed by: Score or Date.
    • Records are displayed 25 at a time.
    • Records are retrieved by clicking on the title of the document displayed in the results view. (This retrieves the complete article)

    At 24 November 2009 there were 3.6 million records in the database.