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Why use this database?
It is useful for students and researchers who are interested in
the local and regional news of Boston.
Description: Contains complete full-text content of local
and regional news from the Boston Herald.
Coverage: 1997 to present
Availability and Use Restrictions:
In-Library
Use: Available at all library locations
Remote
Use: Massachusetts Public Library Card Required
Searching
There are two search options, keyword and customized.
Keyword Search
This searches for any word(s) in the records.
- Type a word or
words in the search boxes.
- Make your result
more relevant by customizing the return.
- Limit your search
by date if desired.
- To connect terms,
use the Boolean operators
- Phrases can be
searched by putting the phrase in quotation marks, e.g., "gun
control". Or by using a proximity operator
- Click SEARCH.
Customized Search
This option allows you to build complex searches.
- Type your word(s) in one or more search boxes.
- Choose the part of the article you would like to search (entire
article, lead paragraph, headline, caption etc…)
- Use the Boolean operators or combine multiple fields to broaden
or narrow the search.
- Limit your search by date. Format acceptable:
Jan 1, 2002 to Feb 3, 2002
April 2001
3-12-2002
2/5/2001 - 4/30/2001
Jan 7 2003 to Jan 14 2003
- Click SEARCH.
Using the Boolean Operators
Combining Terms
Use OR to connect similar terms. OR broadens your search.
Example: hispanic or latino
Use AND to connect separate concepts. AND narrows your search.
Example: doctor and surgeon
Truncating Terms
Use * to replace one or more characters at the end of a search
term, or mulitple characters within a search term.
Example: drug* (retrieves drug, drugs, druggist)
m*donald (retrieves mcdonald and macdonald)
Use ? to replace one character within a search term.
Example: wom?n (retrieves woman, women)
Proximity Searching
Use near[x] to find terms within a specified number(x) of
words of each other and in any order.
Example:
Clinton NEAR5 Gore (retrieves Clinton Gore anywhere between 5
words of each other)
Use adj[x] to search terms that appear within x words of
each other and in the same order. Where x is not specified, defaults
to 1.
Displaying Search Results
Search results show the date of publication, the source and the
title of the articles, and are returned in reverse chronological
order if you haven't customized your search. If you are not satisfied
with the result(s), you can always click EDIT SEARCH.
- Use the scroll
bar to move through the list. A list contains 20 citations.
- Click PREVIOUS,
a page number or NEXT to move through the different lists.
- Click a number
to go to a specific list.
- Click a citation
title to display the record.
- Use the scroll
bar to move through the record.
Printing Search Results
- To print a citation list, click FILE then PRINT PREVIEW.
Make sure the pages are what you want. If you are using this database
within a BPL location there is a charge for computer printing.
(go to instruction #5)
- To print an individual record, click TEXT ONLY DISPLAY
at the top of the record.
- A new window will pop up.
- Click FILE then PRINT PREVIEW. Make sure the pages
are what you want. If you are using this database within a BPL
location there is a charge for computer printing.
- Click PRINT on the print preview window.
- Click PRINT on the print command window.
- Close the window if you were printing an individual record.
Downloading Search Results
- Select SAVE AS from the file menu or the icon tool bar.
- Define what to save and how to save it.
- At a BPL location insert a formatted disk into a floppy drive.
- Type the disk drive, the filename and .txt in the FILE NAME
box. Example: a:myfile.txt
- At a remote location (home or elsewhere) you can save it in
a folder of your computer.
- Close the window.
Emailing Search Results
- Click EMAIL.
- Enter your address in the SEND DOCUMENT TO field.
- Add comments if desired.
- Check the appropriate format (HTML or ASCII text). If unsure,
leave the check at the default which is the text format.
- Click SEND.
- Click LIST to return to the list.
Beginning a New Search
Click Edit Search, or go back to the main page of Newsbank
databases.
Exiting
Click HOME at the top of the screen to return to the Boston
Public Library Web site.
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