Help : Research Tools : CU Library Catalog : Advanced Search Features :

Search Limits

A title or keyword search in the Cornell Library Catalog can be set to limit results to a specified date, or date range, language, material format, collection location, or place of publication.

Please note: limits will not apply to Author, Subject or Call Number searches.

There are several options for setting search limits. From the Basic Search screen, you can use the Quick Limit feature to limit search results to a single format (e.g. books, serials, musical recordings, maps, etc.) or to English only. For additional limit options, or to place multiple limits on search results, use the Set Search Limits or Post Limit features.

The Set Search Limits button allows you to set multiple limits prior to entering search terms. To apply search limits to an existing set of search results, use the Post Limit button. Multiple limits can be set for date, language, format, collection location, or place of publication.

• From the Basic or Guided Keyword search screen, click the Set Search Limits button
• To set date limits:
  a.To retrieve items published in a specific year, use the cursor to select the button to the left of the equal sign and enter the year in the first box
  b. To retrieve items published after (and not including) a specific year, select the greater-than (>) button and enter the year in the first box.
  c. To retrieve items published before (and not including) a specific year, select the less-than (<) button and enter the year in the first box
  d. To retrieve items published within a range of years, select the Range button, enter the earliest date in the first box and the latest date in the second box
• To set other limits, use the cursor to highlight choices in one or more categories.
• Hold down the [Ctrl] key and use the mouse to select more than one option within a category
• Click the Set Limits button to return to the search screen
• Enter search terms and scroll down and click the Search button

To apply any of the above limits to an existing set of search results, use the Post Limit button.

Please note: Limits will remain in effect for all subsequent searches until the Clear Limits button is selected.

• Limits do not apply to Author, Subject, or Call Number searches.
• The Quick Limits box will apply only one limit to a search.
• To apply additional limits to a list of search results, click on the Post Limit button.
• Selecting "none" in the Quick Limits box will not clear limits. Use the Clear Limits button.
• Limits remain in effect for all subsequent searches until the Clear Limits button is selected. This includes searches that are executed through hypertext links.
• You can combine criteria from different categories (e.g. collection location and year) to further limit searches.
• You can select multiple limits within one category (e.g., English or Chinese language) by holding down the Control (Ctrl) key and using the cursor to highlight each option.
• You can jump quickly to the alphabet range of the language, format, collection location or publisher by typing the first letter of the word (e.g., in the Language pull-down menu, type "s" to move to Spanish).
• Once you have changed or cleared search limits, the new limits will be applied to any previous searches retained in the "Search History".