QuickSearch Tips & Tricks

There are four search options in QuickSearch. These appear in a drop-down menu you can select by clicking the magnifying glass icon in the main search bar. 

• Almost Everything: find library resources, both physical and electronic, including books, articles, DVDs, newspapers, and more from across UW Libraries collections and databases. 
• Books, e-Books, and Media: search across books, e-Books, and media in UW Libraries collections. Previously, called Library Catalog. 
• Articles: find magazine and journal articles (including peer-reviewed), across our physical and electronic holdings. 
• Course Reserves: search for materials that are available for your course.  

Additional resources may be available from Databases A-Z or Digital Collections. To borrow materials outside of our collections, patrons can utilize InterLibrary Loan and Prospector. WorldCat allows patrons to search beyond UW Libraries materials.

If you retrieve too many results, try one or more of the following strategies: 

• Add more search terms 
• Try more specific search terms 
• Use the filters on the left side of the results screen to narrow your search by publication date, content type, subject, physical location, or other criteria 

If your search retrieves too few or no results, try one or more of the following strategies: 

• Check for spelling errors 
• Remove terms from your search 
• Try searching a subject-specific database 
• For known items not found in QuickSearch, submit an InterLibrary Loan request  

For additional help, contact us.

Boolean Operators 

QuickSearch offers the following Boolean operators: AND, OR and NOT in both Basic and Advanced Search. The operators must be in ALL CAPS in Basic Search. 
 
By default, all terms in a search are combined with the AND operator. To expand the results set, use the OR operator. For example, microcircuits OR nanocircuits will return items that contain either term. 
 
You can combine Boolean operators with phrase searches. For example, "teacher education" OR "educator training". 
 
To exclude items in QuickSearch, use the NOT operator or - character before a term. For example, animal NOT dog, the results will exclude the term dog. 

We want to assist you in finding the materials you need. Please contact us for help using one of the following options: 

• Ask a Research Librarian - Find contact information for content specialists or book an appointment. 
• Chat or Email Us - Looking for quick answers, try our live chat or email our team. 
• Connect with our Student Library Coaches - Library Coaches are peer tutors for finding information or help using other library resources. Drop-in or schedule an appointment. Appointments are available in person and online.