Find out more about how Keyword, Advanced and Boolean searching works in Manuscripts Online. Keyword search
This is the easiest way to access records in Manuscripts Online. A search for “Clendon” will bring up all the records in which this word appears – not just as correspondence written by or to James Reddy Clendon and other members of his family but also the papers of people who had business transactions with the Clendons, such as Gilbert Mair, John Johnson and John Williams. The keyword search will find phrases as well as single words, but you need to be careful with the order because it’s the exact phrase that is tracked down. If you’re uncertain of the correct order, put an ampersand after each word. A search for “James Clendon” brings up just two records, whereas “James & Clendon” brings up 15. Hints for advanced searchingSubjects: If you click on the word wheel to the right of the search box, it will bring up a full list of the subjects used in our records, and you can paste in the one you want.Names: You can search here for organisations as well as people. The Names search box also has a word wheel.Manuscript number: Use this field if you already know the number of the manuscript you are looking for. You do not need to include the prefix “NZMS”. If you want to bring up the records for two or more manuscripts at the same time, use a slash between the numbers. Thus the search “478/962” will simultaneously present the records for NZMS 478 and NZMS 962.Decade: This is useful if you’re researching a particular period and do not want to confine the search to specific names. Use the drop box to select a decade range. Finding aid: A finding aid is a detailed list of the contents of larger manuscripts. You can search this field by keyword. You will be directed to a list of records, each of which has a link labelled “View Inventory”. Click on one of these links and the full finding aid will appear in PDF format. Boolean searching
Use an asterisk (*) to truncate your search term(s).
Use an ampersand (&) between words if you want both to be present.
Use a slash (/) between words to indicate that either word need be present.
Use an exclamation mark (!) before a word to exclude results containing that word.
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