This search is an alphabetical search. Alphabetical searches work like the phone book. If you know only the first letter of a person’s last name, you have to flip to that section and start looking. Knowing a few more letters allows you to narrow your search. When you perform an alphabetical search, the system moves through the alphabet until it reaches your first letter. Within that letter, it continues to search until it has reached all of the letters in your search term. For instance, if you select the Object Name search and type in "PAINTING," the system will move first to the P and then to PA and then to PAI and so forth. If there is no exact match, the system will bring back the closest records it can find. The type of information that the system alphabetizes depends on the search you choose.

It will compare your search terms with the titles of various materials, such as books, manuscripts, journals and state government records.

• Because this is an alphabetical search, the system will start the search with the first letter you've entered. For instance, if you enter "Colonel Crawford Inn," it will start with "C" and then continue with "O" and "L" and so forth.
• Do not type initial articles (such as "An," "The," or "A"). For example, if you wanted to search for Zane Grey's "The Drift Fence" you would enter "Drift Fence."