FAQ(English)

On the Japanese-language pages, you can use Kanji, Hiragana, Katakana, and alphanumeric characters. For alphanumeric characters, you can enter uppercase and lowercase characters. Single-byte and double-byte characters can both be entered.

Searches can use the original spelling (with characters as they appear in materials). Searches can also use keywords converted into Roman alphabet letters using the ALA-LC Romanization Tables of the U.S. Library of Congress. Some materials are registered in Roman alphabet letters only. An index is created for them. So if the search has no hits with the original spelling, convert the keywords into Roman alphabet letters, and perform the search again.

You can perform the following three searches by entering multiple conditions in a single search field or filling in multiple search fields (logical operation).

Entering multiple search values in multiple search fields (enabled on the advanced search screen)

Primary search items and secondary search items

The following search items are called primary search items. You can perform searches independently with their search values alone.

• Keyword
• Title
• Author
• Publisher
• Subject
• Tag
• Classification
• ISBN/ISSN
• NCID
• Bibliography ID
• Registration No.
• Material ID
• Call No.

The following search items are called secondary search items. You cannot perform a search with a secondary search item unless it is combined with at least one primary search item. The search screen displays * in front of the item names.

• Material type
• Publication year
• Country code
• Language code
• Material format

There are two search methods: keyword search and literal search.

1. The keyword search is a search of materials to find those containing the entered search value as a word (i.e., keyword).
   The literal search is a search of materials to find those containing the entered search value as a simple character string (i.e., literal).
   
   For the literal search, you can specify the following search methods.
   

   Search method	Description	Entry example	Example of hit
   Exact match	Retrieves the materials that have a complete match to the character string entered as a search condition.	end	end END End
   Prefix search	Retrieves the materials that have a character string matching the prefix entered as a search condition.	end*	ending
   Left/right truncation search	Retrieves the materials that have a character string matching the left/right truncation entered as a search condition.	*end*	weekends
   Suffix search	Retrieves the materials that have a character string matching the suffix entered as a search condition.	*end	weekend

   
   
   
2. Searches for the following search items are normal keyword searches. To perform a literal search with the following keyword search items, add "#" to the beginning of the search values.

   
   

   Keyword search item
   • Title
   • Author
   • Publisher
   • Subject
   • Keyword
   
   
   
3. Searches for the following search items are normal literal searches.
   
   Literal search item
   • Publication year
   • Classification
   • ISBN/ISSN
   • Country code
   • Language code
   • NCID
   • Registration No. (available only with prefix search)
   • Material ID (available only with prefix search)
   • Call No. (available only with prefix search)
   
   By using the literal search, you can set the following search conditions for the details.
   

   Search method	Entry example (Item: Search value)	Example of hit
   Searching for materials that have the keyword "Japan" in the title	Title: Japan	History of Japan Tales of Old Japan America and Japan
   Searching for materials whose title is "Japan"	Title: #Japan	Japan
   Searching for materials whose title ends with "Japan"	Title: #*Japan	America and Japan A Rebirth of Japan Japan
   Searching for materials published in the 1900s	Publication year: 19*	1945