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Using Google Search

Google may help find more items in the Library than are found by Basic or Advanced Search.

Its user interface is much more complex, so is recommended primarily for power users.

Google Search uses the "Google Site Search" capability to only return matches in the TCI Library, rather than searching the whole internet.  It uses the same Google Search interface you may already know.

It works by automatically indexing the contents of the Library's PDF files, giving us access to many more keywords within the documents. The user interface also permits more complex searches.

Note that this process isn't always 100% accurate, as some of the PDF files lack the quality needed to be properly OCR-ed. In addition, the availability of so much more text in the search yypically results in many more matches.  Some skill in crafting the search is needed to keep the number of matches reasonable.

In many cases, documents are still best found with the Basic or Advanced Searches, which use only the Library's keywords.

Try the following operators in your Google searches.

Search for an exact word or phrase
"search query"

Use quotes to search for an exact word or set of words in a specific order, without normal improvements such as spelling corrections and synonyms. This option is handy when searching for song lyrics or a line from literature.
[ "imagine all the people" ]

Tip: Only use this if you're looking for a very precise word or phrase, because otherwise you could be excluding helpful results by mistake.

Exclude a word
-query

Add a hyphen (-) before a word to exclude all results that include that word. This is especially useful for synonyms like Jaguar the car brand and jaguar the animal.
[ jaguar speed -car ]

Include similar words
~query

Normally, synonyms might replace some words in your original query. Add a tilde sign (~) immediately in front of a word to search for that word as well as even more synonyms.
[ ~food facts ] includes results for "nutrition facts"

Include a "fill in the blank"
query * query

Use an asterisk (*) within a query as a placeholder for any unknown or "wildcard" terms. Use with quotation marks to find variations of that exact phrase or to remember words in the middle of a phrase.
[ "a * saved is a * earned" ]

Search for either word
query OR query

If you want to search for pages that may have just one of several words, include OR (capitalized) between the words. Without the OR, your results would typically show only pages that match both terms. You can also use the | symbol between words for the same effect.
[ olympics location 2014 OR 2018 ]

Tip: Enclose phrases in quotes to search for either one of several phrases.
[ "world cup 2014" OR "olympics 2014" ]

Search for a number range
number..number

Separate numbers by two periods (with no spaces) to see results that contain numbers in a given range of things like dates, prices, and measurements.
[ camera $50..$100]

Tip: Use only one number with the two periods to indicate an upper maximum or a lower minimum.
[ world cup winners ..2000 ]

Find more on Google Search here:

http://support.google.com/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=134479

New User?

Read the articles under "Introduction" in the black menu bar above.

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Hints for using the TCI Library

"Menu Bar" for site navigation.
Many menu choices are hidden until you mouse over words in the black Menu Bar (above).  If you want help getting started, see the links under the word "Introduction" in the Menu Bar.
 
The user interface is oriented toward the user’s choice to either Browse or Search for information.  The Browse the Library menu entry offers many quick links to move around the Library quickly.  Try it!

Three search options.
The Library’s keyword-based searches, called Basic Search and Advanced Search, accept keywords as short as 2 characters (WE, AE, etc.) and search strings up to 255 characters.  If you get more than 1,000 items, refine your search or try the Google Search option.
 
When selected from the Menu Bar, Google only searches for files in the TCI Library.
 
Library INBOX.
The INBOX may hold some files that have been submitted but not fully processed into the Library.  These are often topics of current discussion on the TCI Email Group. Items in the INBOX are not found using Basic or advanced searches, but ARE found by a Google Search.
 
Remember to check the INBOX if you don't find something with the other searches.
 
Finding BSPs.
Many BSPs are currently only identified by BSP number. If a text search doesn’t produce a BSP, try looking in one of the many BSP index documents to find a BSP number for the product you are researching just as you would do if referencing a paper library of the BSPs. Then enter the BSP number in the search box.
 
Finding CDs and SDs.
Some related CDs and SDs are filed in different areas. Try searching for just the numeric portion of the name.  Remember to check the INBOX if you don't find something with the Basic or Advanced searches -- or use the Google search.
 
Compact Category Listing.
When browsing, to change the category listing view from normal to compact, click on Browse the Library in the black menu bar.
 
To change from compact to normal view, click on Document Repository in the drop down under Browse the Library.

 

 

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