- Introduction
- Main Menu
- Search Display
- Search Options
- How to Search
- Subsets
- Access Points
- Search Results
Introduction
The classification search page is used to both browse and search for classification records using one or more of the
following access points:
Caption
Keyword
Index term
Caption or term
For single access point browsing, the classification browser is a convenient and fast way to select between different access points and locate records.
Main Menu
Access the LC Classification search page from the main menu by clicking on the LC Classification Search link.
Alternately, click on the Browse link to browse a single access point.
The LC classification search page looks like this:
In general, with the exception of the Keyword access point, when you enter your search criteria into only one of the input boxes and press Enter (or click on the Search button), you will be performing a database browse, in the same manner as the Classification Browser. The records will be returned in the sorting order for that access point. When browsing an index, you can view all of the records in a database and not just those that match your initial search term. If you prefer, you can force a query to be run by checking either the basic query or boolean query search options before submitting your search request. See below for more information on changing your search options.
If you input one or more words into the Keyword box; or input values into any two or more access points; or check either the basic query or boolean query search options, ClassWeb Plus will run a query to locate all records that meet your criteria. While browse results are returned instantly, a query may take a few seconds (or even minutes, depending on the search). Also, query results are not returned in any particular sequence, although they tend to be in record number order.
ClassWeb Plus supports truncation searching (just input a partial search term), boolean (AND, OR and NOT) and mathematical (less than, greater than, etc.) operations, and wild-card characters (? matches any single character and * matches multiple characters). In addition, all keyword access points support phrase and proximity searches.
Important: Unlike the Enhanced and Hierarchy classification browsers, the ClassWeb Plus search system does not support calculated classification numbers (where table records have been automatically applied to a schedule record). Searching for a classification number that is normally calculated will not return an exact match but will find any non-calculated records that meet your search criteria. You can then click on the LC class browser link available on each matching record to see that record in its proper context and with calculation support.
- After running a search and results are displayed on your screen, click on the Refine search button to change your query criteria or the New search button to clear your criteria and begin again.
- To switch to the classification browser from the search screen, click on the Tools icon (which looks like a gear) on the right side of the top navigation bar and select Browse.
Search Options
The Search options link on the seach screen provides options that control how searches are run and how the results are
displayed. For more information on how search options affect a query, refer to
Searching in ClassWeb Plus.
Clicking on the Search options link on the classification search screen will change the page like this:
- The number of records to return per page.
- The amount of hierarchy to display with each record.
- Whether to search schedules, tables or both. Classification numbers in table records include a subfield z with a table number whereas schedules records do not. As a result, it is not possible to search for classification numbers in schedule and table records at the same time because they are not directly comparable. If you select both for a search that includes a classification number, only table records will be searched.
How to Search
This page describes those aspects of searching that are unique to classification data. For a general introduction to
ClassWeb Plus searching, please refer to the following help pages:
Subsets
In addition to searching and browsing the entire classification database, you can limit ClassWeb Plus to use only those
areas of classification that are most relevant to your needs. Approximately 36 areas of specialization (subsets) have been
pre-defined within classification. These subsets can be used with both the classification browser and when running
searches.
You select one or more classification subsets using either the Subsets menu (a link to this menu is provided near the bottom of the ClassWeb Plus main menu) or by using the Subsets... button when inputting your classification search criteria. The advantage of using the Subsets menu is that after you have made your selections and clicked on the Start button (and after you have logged in, if necessary), you can create a bookmark in your web browser that can be used to start ClassWeb Plus with those subsets already selected.
Additional documentation:
Access Points
The access points for classification searching include:
Caption
The caption in a classification record is the most specific portion of
the record's hierarchy. It is displayed in the right hand column in the classification browser. For example,
for:
The caption for this record is "Arctic regions". Its full hierarchy is:
The caption index is sorted on field 153/j.
Keyword
Use this access point to search for words and phrases that might be found throughout a record. There is
a separate help page that documents how keyword searching is implemented in ClassWeb Plus.
This access point includes all words and phrases found in the following fields in a record:
680/i, 681/i, 683/i, 753/a, 753/b, 761/i,
763/i, 763/j, 764/i, 766/i, 766/y
Index term
Index terms are cross references that guide a user to the preferred terminology for a given subject. For
example, if you browse for "boot industry" in the Index Term index, you will discover that the appropriate
classification is:
The index term index is sorted on field 753/a, followed by field 753/b.
Caption or term
This index contains both classification captions (the lowest part of the hierarchy) and the cross-referencing index
terms. It saves you from having to search both places separately for a term.
This index combines the caption index (sorted on field 153/j) and the index term index (sorted on field 753/a, followed by field 753/b).
Class number
This index contains the classification number from each record as well as any cross-reference classification numbers
(like see references). Browsing this index is the same as using the Standard classification browser. However,
if you are running a query and are getting too many results, you can narrow your search by including a partial
classification number. This is the same concept as using subsets but allows you to work with even more narrow areas
of classification.
For example, let's say you want any occurrence of "netherlands" in the keyword index and want to narrow the criteria further to just the "HF" (Commerce) section of the social sciences. You would input "netherlands" into the Keyword field and "HF" into the Classification Number field and click on the "Search" button to run the query.
Please note that the Classification Number field is the only input field that is affected by whether you are working with Schedules records, Tables records or Both (see Display Options, below). When working with just Schedules records, the field is treated as a classification number (HD9000) or span (HD9000-9019). When you select Tables or Both, the field is treated as a table number on its own (H18), a table number followed by a classification number (H18 1) or a table number followed by a span (H18 1-18).
If you need to browse the classification number index or run a search with a classification number as one of the criteria, you should select Schedules or Tables separately. Selecting Both will give the same results as selecting only Tables because the field will be treated as a table number.
The classification number index contains three different types of keys using the following sets of fields:
453/z, 453/a, 453/c
553/z, 553/a, 553/c
Tip: The classification browser documentation contains additional information on how to input classification schedule and table numbers.
Search Results
Search results are displayed a page at a time, with twenty-five or more records per page. You can change the
number of records that are returned in any of the following ways:
- To change the number for the current web browser tab or window click on the Search options link when inputting your seach. Use the drop-down list immediately under Display Options to choose a different number and run the search again.
- To change the default number of records displayed by all ClassWeb Plus screens for your account (this will affect everyone who logs in to your account), modify your account settings with the Settings link found on the drop-down menu at the top of every page (requires administrative password).
- To change it before you launch the LC Classification browse or search screens, use the Bookmarks link in the LC Classification section of the the main menu. That page will launch the classification browser with your new record count. You can then bookmark that page in your web browser to always start ClassWeb Plus with the same record count. If you click on the Search button from the classification browser, the search screen that is opened will inherit the record count from the classification browser. This is the other way to bookmark a search screen with your preferred record count.
The results of an index browse and a query differ slightly.
Index Browse Results
When you are browsing a single index, the results will look something like this (in this case, the word "caption" was typed
into the Caption field):
The current record is highlighted with a blue bar and its hierarchy is displayed in the box above the search results. Double click on any record to display its hierarchy in the box.
Clicking on the index heading returns a screen of just index headings. Clicking on the
classification number will launch the classification browser in a separate window for that number. Finally, each caption
is followed by a small white button ( 
) that
displays a drop-down menu of additinal links for that record (see below).
Query Results
When you run a query, the results will look like this (in this case the word he word "caption" was typed
into the Caption field and the search otpion basic query was selected):
The results show the current query number (1 in this case) and that 55 records were found. As with an index browse, the hierarchy associated with the current record is displayed in a box and the current record is highlighted in blue. Double clicking on any record will move the blue highlighting and change the displayed hierarchy. Clicking on a classification number will launch the classification browser for that number in a separate tab or window. Each caption is followed by a small white button that displays a drop-down menu of additinal links for that record (see below).
Record Links
Every classification record in the list of search results is followed by a little white button
( ) which, when clicked, displays a drop-down
menu of additional links. See above for search display examples. The links can include:
| Item | Action |
|---|---|
| Dewey correlation | Displays the Dewey classification numbers that are most often used with this LC classification number. Note: If this feature is of no interest to you, you can remove this link from the drop-down menu by changing your account settings. |
| Edit this record | Only displayed for administrative users who have permission to edit this record. |
| Hierarchy | Another way of selecting the current record and displaying its hierarchy. |
| LC subject correlation | Displays LC subject headings that are most often used with this classification number. |
| LCSH 053 search | Displays LC subject headings that contain this classification number in an 053 field in the subject record. |
| MARC record | Displays this classification record with its MARC tags. |
| Notes | Create or edit the local notes associated with this classification number. |
| OPAC(s) | Displays one or more OPAC links for this classification number. Note: Customize your list of OPAC links in your account settings. |
For accounts that are authorized to submit classification proposal requests, the drop-down menu on the search screen does not include any links to create and edit proposals. You must use the classification browser to submit these requests (on the search results page, click on the appropriate classification number to jump to that record in the classification browser).