Find Cataloging Records in Your Library’s Database

To find and list bibliographic records, item records, authority records, templates, or record sets in your local database:

Note:
The available tabs in the Find Tool depend on the type of record selected.

Tip:
To search for bibliographic records from anywhere in the Polaris application, press F12. To search for item records, press Ctrl+Alt+F9.

  1. From the Polaris Shortcut Bar, select Cataloging, or press ALT+C to display the Cataloging menu.
  2. Select a record type from the Cataloging menu.

    3. The Polaris Find Tool appears.

    Tip:
    You can tab from field to field in the Find Tool.

    You can change the type of record in the Object box.

  3. Select the search access point in the Search By box.

    4. Tip:
    If you are searching for a bibliographic record, you can search for a 10-digit or 13-digit ISBN. You can also search by the Other Standard Identifier (which can be a UPC code or stock number). The Other Standard Identifier may be used when searching for non-print items that do not have an ISBN.

  4. Select the search type in the Type box:
    • To find anything that begins with the contents of the For box, select Exact match (implicitly truncated).
    • To find anything that has exactly the contents of the For box, select Exact match (explicitly truncated).
    • To open an index that begins with the contents of the For box, select Browse.
    • To find any occurrence of the contents in the For box, select Keyword search.
    • To find the entries in the For box adjacent to each other in the data, and in order, select Phrase search.
  5. To sort the search results, select an option in the Sort by box. Sort is not available in Browse searches.

    6. Tip:
    If you are doing a keyword or phrase search for a bibliographic or authority record, you may see automatic suggestions as you type.

  6. Type your search text in the For box.
  7. To limit your search results, select an option in the Limit by box, and either select a value or type it in the Value box. Some Limit by options have pre-set selections in the Value box. For example, if you select Language, a list of languages appears in the Value box. If you select Author, you type the author’s name in the Value box.
  8. If you would typically search for this type of record using the same search criteria, select Options > User Default to save your search options. To set the option back to the system default, select Options > Revert to System Default.

    9. Note:
    Limit by values selected from a drop-down list are saved in the user default, but free-text values are not saved. For example, if the Limit by selection is Subject and you enter history in the Values box, the value is not saved.

    Tip:
    If you just want a count of the records without seeing them in a list, click Count Only.

  9. Click Search, or press Enter or ALT+S.

    10. A list of records matching your search criteria appears at the bottom of the Find Tool (unless you selected Count Only). You can use the scroll bar to scroll through the list of results, or use the up and down arrows on your keyboard.

  10. Double-click the record to open the record in its workform, or right-click and choose an option from the context menu. Depending on the record type, you can perform various actions on the record without opening it in the workform.

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