Tips & Tricks for Great

IEERBSearchesIEERB ConferenceOctober 18, 2007

Presented byAmy Matthews, IEERB Director of Research

The Prequel: Make Sure You Have All the Pieces You Need

1. If you don’t already have an account, sign up for one at the alphabet soup table.

The Prequel: Make Sure You Have All the Pieces You Need

2. On your first visit, be on the lookout for yellow ribbons.

The Prequel: Make Sure You Have All the Pieces You Need

3. Know thy search.

Overall Tip & Trick: Keep Your Research Tabs Straight

Different approach needed for Locate Documents verses Search Document Text because each is a different way of

obtaining information.

Locate Documents-Left Tab in the Research Menu-

Used to retrieve documents by their characteristics, such

as corporation or year.

Locate Documents Tip & Trick :

Use Your % and Enter only What you need

Is the school corporation you are looking at:

A School city? School town? MSD?

Locate Documents Tip & Trick :

Don’t use a characteristic if you are not sure

This is particularly true for “year”. If you are looking for a 2006 contract and you know the school corporation, just search that!

Example…

Locate Documents Tip & Trick: Use OR

OR allows you to search for multiple corporations,

years, etc.

Search Document Text-Right Tab in the Research

Menu-

Allows you to conduct a full-text search of any document in the system by entering the words or phrases you are seeking.

Search Document Text Tip & Trick :

Start

…and then

it down.

Search Document Text Tip & Trick:

Take Advantage of AND OR NOT

AND gives you fewer results.

OR gives you more results.

NOT gives you fewer results by eliminating an irritant. Rare but helpful!

AND(Requires both

words/phrases in your search)

OR(Picks up documents containing either of the words/phrases in your search)

Search Document Text Tip & Trick :

Click “Saved Searches” to Pull Up Your Favorites

Let’s Review…• Research Menu contains two key tabs – Locate

Documents and Search Document Text• In Locate Documents,

– Use your % and enter only what you need– If you are unsure of a characteristic, don’t use– Use OR to expand your search

• In Search Document Text– Start broad and narrow it down– Take advantage of AND OR NOT– Click “saved searches” to pull up your favorites.

Why only 6 tips?

Overall Tip & Trick , Remember your resources!

• Usage guide in your binder• Tutorial in the IEERBSearch help tab.• Amy Matthews, Director of Research, at

your service…(317) 233-6625ammatthews@ieerb.in.gov

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND PARTICIPATION TODAY!!!

On the Horizon--

• Ability to sort results by corporation and other characteristics

• Self-service account setup• More user-friendly full text searching

A Special Thanks

To Cathy Allen of RJS Software And

To Kurt Schernekau of Stoneware, Inc.For

Building This System and Being with Us Here Today