Basic searching
Search the site by clicking the magnifying glass icon () at the top right of the page and entering your desired search term(s).
Search objects only by clicking the “Collections” tab and using the search field there.
Limit your search to a specific content type by entering your search term(s), then clicking “Content Type” in the filters on the left side of the page and selecting your desired results type.
Narrow down your search results by using the filters on the left side of the page. Only filters relevant to the search you’ve already done will appear.
Autosuggest: The search will automatically suggest possible search terms as you begin to type. If a suggestion in the drop-down list is relevant, click on it.
Related search: Related search terms will appear along with your search results.
“Browse” using filters only: Click on the magnifying glass at the top right corner of the site to open the site search. Hit the “Search” button to perform a blank search and pull up all search results on the site. Then use the filters to browse through pages on our site.
Searching for phrases: It can be easier to search fewer words and then use the filters to help narrow down exactly what you are looking for. To match a phrase exactly, include quotation marks around the phrase.
Clear your search: Use the “X” icon in the search box to remove all search terms and filters.
Boolean Search
You can use any of the expressions below as well as uppercase AND, OR, or NOT between words to conduct a Boolean search.
| Operator | Example |
|---|---|
| + | kabuki +play (results matching kabuki and play, in any order and distance) |
| – | kabuki -play (results matching kabuki but not play) |
| “” | “kabuki play” (results matching the phrase kabuki play exactly) |
| ~ | “kabuki play”~3 (results matching the phrase kabuki play allowing for up to three word movements for a match; for example, kabuki play, kabuki kyogen play, etc.) |
| * | Tok* play (results matching words that start with Tok or play) |
| multiple | “Kyogen play” +Tokyo~1 (results matching the phrase Kyogen play plus the word Tokyo with fuzziness = 1 for that single word, allowing Tokyo or Tokio, for instance) |
Results
Results are displayed in grid view by default.
Switch to list view by clicking on the list icon on the right, above your search results. For a quick scan of the most relevant results, the list view may be your best option.
Your search term will be highlighted in yellow in the results to show why a certain result was returned.
Sort your results: Your results will be displayed according to relevance by default. Relevance is determined by how precisely the result matches your search query. To change the sort order to alphabetical by title, click the “Sort by” drop-down menu. For best results, change to the list view when sorting by alphabetical order.
Filters
Refine your search using the filters on the left side of the page. Only filters related to your search will appear.
Expand a filter category by clicking on it. Available filters will appear along with a count of results under each filter. Click on a filter to apply it. The applied filter will be displayed above your new results.
Remove a single filter by clicking on it where it appears above your results.
Remove all filters by clicking the “Clear all Filters” link.
Filter search box: Some categories may have an extensive list of possible filters. In that case, a search box will appear at the top of the filter list. Type in the search box to narrow down the list of filters.
The date filter is a slider. Adjust the two ends of the slider to specify the date range you want to search, then hit “APPLY.”
Display only: The “Display Only” category will be expanded for search results that include objects. You can select “On View,” which will limit results to the objects that are currently on display in the museum, or “CC0,” which will limit results to objects that are open access.