Selected N-YHS Print, Photograph, Architecture and Ephemera Collections can be searched on a keyword or phrase within specific field across the entire collection.

Your initial query will retrieve a tally of the total number of hits with the total number of collections containing hits, followed by a breakdown by collection. You will have the option of viewing all the records in all collections; all the appropriate records from a particular collection; or the records from a particular collection in groups of ten.

Nota Bene that there may be two or more hits within a single record, so that a collection containing 8 hits may return only 5 records (some with multiple note fields containing hits).

You may also go to an advanced search of a particular collection where you may filter your search by adding criteria, or just explore that collection more intimately.

Accompanying the breakdown of hits by collectuion you will find links to Finding Aids that describe the organization of any particular collection. Use this resource to research the general contents, scope or size of any particular collection.

You may browse on Subject, Title, or Creator for any particular collection or for all collections serially.

Be aware that searching is not case sensitive.

Keyword phrases may contain as many words as you reasonably expect to find together, e.g. "hair parted in middle". This works because the inputter left out the article; your success depends upon this sort of serendipity.

Keywords are by default wildcarded at both ends to allow for a broader return in cases such as prefixed or plural forms. You can use this to advantage by truncating your search term to a point where the wildcard can fill in inflectional or plural endings and so on to cut a wider swath through the database.

In order to winnow out unwanted entries, try adding a space before and/or after your search term; e.g. a space before bridge will winnow out Stonebridge, one after will winnow out Bridgeport. A space on both sides will winnow out both, but it will also preclude a return of a record where the first word is Bridge.

If you wish to search on a date in the date range field you can query either a single year or a range of years; you cannot search on a full date at this time.

The date field is not wildcarded by century or decade. To find a date in the 1860s you will get results only if you give the range 1860-1870 (not 186).

This field is also very generous; if an item (even one with a range of dates itself) contains a date that falls within the two dates you request the query will return that item.