There are many filters available in the catalog to help you narrow your results. Each filter includes a dropdown that will allow you to make one or more selections to retrieve the most accurate and relevant results based on your needs.
On Discover's homepage, you will find Access, Resource Type, Format or Media, Collection, and Newly Added filters that will allow you to narrow down your initial search.
Access: narrows your search to physical or online materials.
Resource Type: categorized materials, including Books, Music Scores, and Games.
Format and Media Type: is similar to the Resource Type filter, but it also includes other categorized items, including media, such as Audio CDs, Microfilm, and Paper.
Collections: the libraries have several individual collections that span across all library locations.
Newly Added: materials added to the libraries' collections within the last six months.
After conducting your initial search, you will find additional filters available to help you refine your search.
Building Location and Shelf Location allow you to further narrow your search by specific locations.
If you would like to filter your results by publication date, you can use the Publication Year and Publication Decade filters. Discover typically presents years and decades related to your initial search if there are corresponding items in our collections.
When choosing to filter by a subject, you have three options, Subject-Topic, Subject-Region, and Subject-Era. The filters will contain topics and regions related to your search.
The filters for Games allow you to search for video and tabletop games by the length of time it will take to play, the number of players needed, and the recommended age.
The Meeting or Event filter provides search results about the origins of certain materials and objects, such as a conference.
Below you will find descriptive information about Discover's new Resource Type filter that may be unfamiliar and links to the described features in Discover:
Archive/Manuscripts: historical documents and materials providing information about a place, institution, or group of people.
Audio: sound recordings in records, cassette tapes, CDs, streaming music, and more.
Books: printed or written works.
Images: online graphics from a variety of sources.
Journals/Periodicals: a newspaper or magazine about a subject or professional activity.
Maps: representations of the physical features of an areas.
Music Recordings: physical recording of a musical performance.
Music Scores: a notations, in manuscript or printed form, of a musical work.
Newspapers: printed or online publications containing news, feature articles, advertisements, and correspondence.
Objects/Artifacts: physical items used for a practical purpose or are from a particular period.
Online Databases: an organized collection of computerized information or data.
Software: a digital file/document typically consisting of surveys, studies, and assessments.
Spoken Recordings: audio recordings, audio CDs, and other spoken audio formats.
Theses/Dissertation: a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualifications.
Video/Films: recording of moving visual images (i.e., VHS and DVDs).
Educational Kits: a learning resource that contains supplemental materials such as CD-ROM, book, or cassette tape.
Civil and citizenship toolkit: a collection of educational resources for immigrants
Equipment: consists of photo/visual, audio/recording, photography, video, electronics, programming, and prototyping equipment.
