How to search the collections

The archive collections and rare book collections held by the Special Collections and Archives department at the Glucksman Library must be searched separately.

This page offers a number of hints and tips for getting the most out of your search, and outlines step-by-step guides for the various ways to search the collections.

Contents:

RESEARCH TIP

The Glucksman Library has several online LibGuides relating to the citation of printed material, for instance, Cite it Right (Harvard) and Endnote.

Archive collections

To start searching archival collections using the ArchivUL catalogue, follow the steps detailed below:

  1. Enter search terms

    Type your search terms in the Search field at the top of the page. Click the Search icon to run your search:

  2. Refine your search

    Refine your search using the filters on the left-hand side of the search results:

  3. Improve accuracy of results

    To search for an exact phrase, use double quotes around the terms. For example, search “River Shannon” to find results with those exact words in that order. By default, ArchivUL uses the AND Boolean operator when you enter multiple search terms. This means a search for River Shannon will return results containing both River AND Shannon, but the terms may appear in any order and not necessarily together:

  4. Ensure your search is comprehensive

    Ensure you find all relevant results by using the Boolean operator OR in your searches. For example, searching “River Shannon” OR fishing will return results containing either term:

  5. Use wildcards

    You can enhance your searches in ArchivUL using wildcard symbols such as ? and *. The question mark ? substitutes for any single character, making it useful for finding words with different spellings, such as US and UK spelling variations. For example, searching for wom?n will return both woman and women. The asterisk * represents multiple characters within a word or at the end of a word. For example, searching for histor* will return results such as history, histories, historic, and more:

Advanced search

If you wish to make your search in ArchivUL more specific, use the Advanced search options:

The Scope and content description provides a summary of a collection’s focus and lists the items it contains. Use Advanced search to refine your search to the Scope and content of an archival item:

You can also limit your search to items within a specific date range using Advanced search:

Using search filters

To filter your search in ArchivUL for archival items with digital images, follow the steps detailed below:

  1. Enter search term

    Enter your search term and click the search icon:

  2. Select digital objects

    Select the option to Show results with digital objects:

  3. Select digital object

    Select the relevant image to view the item in more detail:

RESEARCH TIP

Sometimes less-obvious collections can contain sources relevant to your topic — for example, the O’Mara collection of family papers contains some great material on author Kate O’Brien. Your research might benefit from your curiosity!

Rare book collections

The Special Collections librarians at the Glucksman Library use a software called Alma to catalogue the department’s collections of rare books, and this database is made searchable by a system called Primo.

You can search the rare book collections held in Special Collections and Archives using the same system as you do to search the main library collections. Below are some tips for helping you to narrow your search, and what reference numbers you need to give department staff when you come to visit us.

Searching rare books on the library catalogue

 

    1. It is best to use the Glucksman Library’s full search box:

 

    1. Select ‘Special Collections’ from the dropdown menu on the right to narrow your search, so that you only get results from collections held within the Special Collections and Archives department.
    2. To get better and more comprehensive results, make sure you sign in using your UL email and password on the top-right of the screen.
    3. Make a note of the reference number of the item you wish to consult, and have this handy when you visit the reading room. Tip: note if an item is from the Leonard or Norton collection, as this must also be included with the reference number when you order the item.

RESEARCH TIP

Save time and make sure the only copy of the item you’re interested in is located in the Special Collections and Archives reading room — sometimes there are additional copies of texts available in the main library collection, which you can borrow as normal.

Searching the Bolton Library collection on the library catalogue

 

  1. Once catalogued, each item from the Bolton collection appears instantly on the library catalogue.
  2. Search the term ‘Cashel Diocesan Library’ using the library’s full search box (as above) to view all items catalogued to date:

RESEARCH TIP

You can browse the research themes of the archive and rare book collections here, while a sample of research topics from the Bolton collection is available here. You can also browse an A-Z list of useful online resources here.