Advanced Search

The Advanced Search feature allows users to search the Chicago History Museum Images website with precision, utilizing code-based search commands. Users may choose between search modifiers, phrase searches, strict order searches, or metadata searches.

Search Modifiers 

There are several ways to modify and improve searches with the Advanced Search feature. Search modifiers such as "AND," "OR," and "NOT," must be entered in uppercase, and may include single character alternative modifiers.

How to use "AND" in a search

The "AND" search modifier produces results containing all search terms entered. To use an alternative search modifier, press the space key or the plus (+) key between search terms:

dog AND cat
produces the same results as
dog cat
as well as 
dog+cat

Using any of these search modifiers produces results containing the words "dog" and "cat." The "AND" search modifier is the default modifier when no modifiers are specified.

How to use "OR" in a search

The "OR" search modifier produces results containing either or all of the search terms entered. To use an alternative search modifier, press the pipe (|) key:

dog OR cat
produces the same results as
dog | cat

Using either of these search modifiers produces results containing the words "dog," "cat," and "dog and cat."

How to use "NOT" in a search

The "NOT" search modifier produces results excluding search terms entered after "NOT." To use an alternative search modifier, press the exclamation mark (!) key or the minus (-) key:

dog NOT cat
produces the same results as
dog!cat
as well as
dog-cat

Using any of these search modifiers produces results containing the search term "dog," only when those results do not include the search term "cat."

How to use phrase search

The phrase search utilizes quotation marks (“ ”) to produce results containing the exact phrase entered in a search. For example, entering “The Who” with quotation marks produces results containing the exact phrase, "The Who."

How to use strict order search

The strict order search utilizes carets (<<) to produce results with search terms appearing in the order they were entered:

dog << cat

produces results where the term "dog" appears before the term "cat" in the content metadata.

Metadata Fields

Searching metadata fields offers the user direct access to individual metadata fields and multiple search operators, which can be combined into a single command. Utilizing this search method significantly refines searches by combining metadata fields within a single search. Metadata fields are displayed in image previews.

Metadata field searches are not case sensitive, which allows the user to perform quicker searches on the Chicago History Museum Images website. Metadata terms should, however, be spelled exactly as they are seen in the image preview metadata.

Users should press the at (@) key, followed by the desired metadata field name, followed by the colon (:) key, followed by a search term, and finally a forward slash (/) key:

@{metadata field}:{search term}/

which translates to 
@Caption:dog/

Using this formula produces results containing the search term "dog" within the Caption metadata field.

How to combine commands

The user may develop a single-term search as shown above, or combine metadata in a single search using search modifiers. The forward slash (/) key allows spaces and search terms to be used within a single search.

For example, the formula:
@Caption:dog/ @Created Date:1937/

Produces results containing the search term "dog" in the Caption metadata field, and "1937" in the Date Created metadata field.

If the user experiences difficulties searching the Chicago History Images website, please contact rightsrepro@chicagohistory.org.