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Introduction > Searching the Inquiry Page


Searching the Inquiry Page

Let's look at the Inquiry Page as a digital library, first. Then we can move on to creating Units.

1. Go to www.inquiry.uiuc.edu

2. Click on the button in the left navigation bar, "Inquiry Units"

3. You will now be at the search page, where you can do: (a) simple searching, (b) advanced searching, and (c) browsing.

(a) Simple search:
Type in keywords. For example, "digital libraries." (Don't forget that if you put something in quotes, you will be searching for that phrase.) Click on the "Search" button.


When we did the search in May, we returned the following Units:

To view a specific Inquiry Unit from the search results, click on the "View" button to the left of the desired Inquiry Unit.

  • We found one that fit what we were looking for: Sample
  • Let's say we want to find more. We decide to search without the quotes, returning considerably more Units:

We still need to browse some to find out if these units address digital libraries, and we did find several:

But to get to these Units, browsing was a needed strategy.

Searching the Inquiry Page is not that much different than a search engine or directory. Your ability to locate useful information to you is based on you doing both searching and browsing. Why is that? When you enter search terms in a simple keyword search, the Inquiry Page is going to search for those terms throughout the text of the Inquiry Unit. In addition, each Unit's creator "catalogs" his/her Unit with terms he/she feels are relevant. Like a search engine, there is no "controlled vocabulary." To determine what results are useful to you, you will need to shift from "search mode" to "browsing returned Units mode."

(b) Advanced search:
Click on the "Advanced Search" button. You can search for a specific Unit or limit your search by subject, grade level or affiliation.


If you are looking for a specific Inquiry Unit:

  • Type a keyword such as the author's name or email address into the "Search" field.
  • Check the box next to each field that offers the terms by which you want to limit your search, and click on the "Search" button.


If you are not looking for a specific Inquiry Unit, but only Inquiry Units concerning a specific subject area, grade level, and/or partner project, you do not need to type anything into the "Search" field. Instead:

  • Check the box next to each field that offers the terms by which you want to limit your search, and click on the "Search" button. You will receive a list of all those Inquiry Units that match your search.
  • To view a specific Inquiry Unit from the search results, click on the "View" button to the left of the desired Inquiry Unit.

(C ) Browsing all Units:
Click on the "Browse All Units" button to the right of the "Search" field. This will bring up a list of all Inquiry Units.

To view a specific Inquiry Unit from the search results, click on the "View" button to the left of the desired Inquiry Unit.

(Note: Because there are over 1800 units, sometimes it takes a while for all of the Units to appear.)

YOU TRY IT!
First, log in to the Inquiry Page. Using both a simple search and advanced search, find five Inquiry Units that you find interesting. By going to the end of the Units, you will see an "Add your comments" field. Not all Units have this option, but most do. Find Units that do have this allowable by simply scrolling down to the bottom of the Unit. You'll find a box where you can enter your comments. Then, leave your comments on three of these Units, describing why you found their Units useful. Send the URLs of the Units you've left comments on to your mentors in an email.

Home | What is the Inquiry page | Becoming a Member | Searching Inquiry Page | Creating Your Own Unit | Other Ways of Creating a Unit | Editing Your Unit | Resources



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