Limiting Your Search

After doing a search, you can use the catalog's limit options to fine-tune the search and adjust the results. Limiting is a good way to narrow the results of a large search to a manageable number.

Limits can be used with any type of search. The Limit/Sort Search button or the Modify Search button appears at the top of the screen after you have done a search.

When you click on it, your limiting options are displayed:

There are some limiting functions that you will use more than others, depending on the kinds of searches you are doing. For musicians, two kinds of limiting are used most frequently:

1. limiting by words in the author
2. limiting by material type

Limiting by Words in the Author

If you are looking for a specific performance, such as Murray Perahia playing Mozart, you will want to limit using this option.
Give it a try: Click here to open the catalog.

Do an initial author search using the name of the performer, "Perahia, Murray." Note the number of entries.

Click on the "Limit/Sort Search" button to limit by Words in the Author and type in "Mozart." Then click on the "Submit" button to get your new results. You now have a list of entries that includes both Mozart and Perahia.

Limiting by Material Type

You may wish to find either a recording or a score, but not both. If you have only one piece to search for, or only a small number of items, it may be simplest to look at the icons at the left of the items. Otherwise, limiting can be useful. You would do your initial search and from the results Limit by Material Type. Select [MUSIC RCRDNG] or [SCORE], depending on which you want.
Give it a try: Click here to open the catalog.

The library has many scores of UNL music faculty member, Randall Snyder. Are any of these pieces recorded? Search for "Snyder, Randall" as author. Note the number of entries. Limit by MATERIAL TYPE, MUSIC RECRDNG. How many results do you get?

The Down-Side of Limiting

1. When you limit a search the results you get will not appear to be in alphabetical order. This makes a large limiting file difficult to use.
2. After doing a limit, the Locate in Results command will only allow you to jump to a number in your list, not directly to a title.
3. When you limit a search, the catalog deletes all of the cross-references to uniform titles. Make sure you know the uniform title of your piece before limiting.