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NoveList Plus

A guide to navigating and searching book finding database NoveList Plus.

Feeling unsure about all these search options on the Advanced Search page?

Don't Worry! This guide will help explain what you need to know so that you can find the best possible book match for you. 

Boolean Search

The first advanced search option you will see is a Boolean Search box. 

Boolean search operators combine multiple keywords in a search with "AND" "OR" or "NOT" 

The Default operator on NoveList is "AND"
 

These operators will affect your keywords in different ways: 

Other helpful tips: 

Parentheses - When typing a search in the basic search bar and using boolean operators, parentheses can be used to specify the results. 
Boolean search order will put keywords together in the order that they appear, so a search for: This AND that NOT Those will search for: this AND <that NOT those>. 

However, by using parentheses you can specify your own grouping of terms like (this AND that) NOT (those) in the search bar. 

Quotation Marks - Using quotation marks around a word or words will indicate that you want to search that EXACT word, spelling, or phrase and order of words.  "Keyword" 

Limiters

After entering your keywords, but before clicking "search" you can use the rest of the Advanced Search Page options to Limit your results to just items that have those qualities. 

*All of these are optional! They can also be applied after a search from the left hand menu. 

Limiting Options Include: 

  • Forthcoming - Check this box to only find books that have not yet been published. ("Coming Soon!")
     
  • Award Winner - Check this box to limit the results to only books that have won awards.
     
  • Review Available -  This will search only books and audiobooks that have one or more reviews by a professional publication, such as Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, or AudioFile.
     
  • Starred Review - Check this box to find books that have a starred review by a professional book review journal.
    • These books are considered "high quality" or "exceptional" by reviewers and publishers.
       
  • Includes Media Mentions- Check this to find books that have been mentioned on a TV Show, Talk Show, Radio Program, or Celebrity Book Club. 
     
  • Media Mentions- Use this list to narrow down books to just those mentioned on a specific show or program.
    • Includes: Good Morning America, The Today Show, Oprah's Book Club, Reese's Book Club, 60 Minutes, late night talk shows, NPR, and a lot more! 
       
  • Include Series Titles - Check this box to include books that are part of a series. ("I want something to get lost in!")
     
  • Exclude Series Titles - Check this box if you just want a standalone book. ("I'm not looking for a long term commitment.")

Field Codes

In the search bar you can also use Field Codes to find your keywords in a specific field, like title, author, series, genre, and more. 

The basic Field Codes are listed in the drop down menu next to the search box on the Advanced Search page.

Use the Field Code's capital initials (such as TI = Title) before a word to specify that the keyword should be searched in that field. 

 

 

For more information on searching using field codes, check out the 
NoveList Field Code Cheat Sheet 

or find the full list of field codes by clicking Help or

the question mark next to the search bar.

      

 
 

Wildcards and Truncation

NoveList allows the use of Wildcards and Truncation, which are symbols that can be used to take place of unknown letters, other spellings, or various endings of words in a search. 

Wildcards are represented by a question mark (?) or a hashtag/pound sign (#) 

A question mark (?) can be used to replace an unknown character or letter. For example, type ne?t to find books, series, authors and content containing the words neat, nest or next. 

A hashtag/pound sign (#) can be used in places where an alternate spelling may contain an extra character. For example, type colo#r to find items containing keywords color or colour. 

Truncation is represented by an asterisk (*). In a search, the truncation symbol takes a root series of letters and fills in letters that follow to form multiple words and variations. For example, music* will find the words: music, musical, musician, and musicians

Proximity

Another advanced search technique NoveList offers is Proximity Searching, or searching for two or more keywords that might occur near, but not next to each other in text.  

The Proximity Operators are composed of a letter (N or W) and a number (to specify the number of words). The proximity operator is placed between the keywords that are to be searched. 

Near Operator: N(number) - finds the words that appear within that number of words to one another regardless of the order in which they appear.
For example, murder N3 accident will find results that contain phrases such as "The 'accident' might have been murder!" and "Was it a murder or just an accident?" 

Within Operator - W(number) - Finds the results containing both words if they are within that number of words to one another and only in the order they are entered. 
For example, women W1 detectives can find "Women detectives" and also, "Women amateur detectives".

More Search Help

There are lots of ways to find more information about searching in NoveList Plus.
Click on the Question Mark next to search, or the "How Do I?" or "Help" links
on the Navigation toolbar to bring up NoveList’s complete guides to searching.