Searching

I'm having problems with the search function. What am I doing wrong?

Very Short or Truncated Words (Pig or "Valentin")
The keyword search has difficulty with very truncated versions of words, such as "valentin" or very short words, such as "pig," "hat," and "dog." To find very truncated or short words, use the "Narrow by Specific Fields" search. For example, you can search for "description contains pig," and the appropriate items will appear.

Boolean Search (Using AND)
Do not use the word "and" in the keyword search field. For example, do not search for "house AND tree." The AND will be ignored; all items with house OR tree in any field will be returned. Instead, use the advanced search function to narrow your search. Create one search "Title contains tree," click the + button to make an additional search field, and then enter a second search "Title contains house." This will return only items with "house" and "tree" in the title field.

(Using OR)
"Or" is the default for keyword searches. If you enter "tree house," all items containing tree or house will be returned.

(Using NOT)
Omeka does not do NOT searches. The keyword search will default to "Or" thereby ignoring the not and the advanced search will default to "And".

Truncation (Asterisks*)
There is no need to use an asterisk to truncate words; Omeka does this automatically. For example, if searching for valentines, entering "valentine" will search for items with "valentine" or "valentines."

Unusual Punctuation (Accent Marks `)
When searching, exact punctuation is necessary. For example, when searching for café, you must search with the accent mark. If you search for "cafe," you will not find any items.

Browsing

To browse for particular topics, such as Boats, use the Browse by Subject feature on the Browse page.

To browse for particular types of items, such as photographs, use the Browse by Item Type feature on the Browse page.

To browse for items by geographical location, use the Browse the Map feature on the Browse page.

To browse by page, use the View Scrapbook feature.

Other Questions

I'd like more information about how this site was created. Where can I find out more?
It was created by the students in Professor Candy Schwartz's Digital Libraries course for Fall 2009. Please refer to About the Project for more information.

I'm a teacher interested in using your site in my class. Do you have any materials of use to me?
Yes, please refer to the For Teachers section. There are four lessons plans available: one for kindergarten/first grade, one for elementary school, one for middle school, and one for high school. These lesson plans are linked to the Massachussetts Curriculum Standards for Grades 3, 7, and U.S. History 2.

Where I can I find other projects like this one?
We're glad you liked our project! Other Simmons College Alumni Scrapbooks can be found in the Notable Women of Simmons College Digital Scrapbook Collection.

How can I reuse images or information from this site?
Please refer to the Terms of Use.

How can I obtain a high-resolution version of an image from this site?
The Simmons College Archive has high-resolution (600 dpi) versions of the images on the site. Please contact the Archives for more information.

Any other questions?
Please contact the Simmons College Archives.
Location: 300 The Fenway
Phone: 617.521.2440
Email: [email protected]