ILLiad Search: Complete User Guide

Overview

ILLiad offers two search modes to help you find information quickly and reliably. The system automatically selects the best mode for you, but you can switch between them at any time. Whether you're looking for patron records, lender information, or tracking down specific requests, ILLiad's powerful search capabilities help you locate what you need in seconds.

The search system is designed to be resilient - if one mode has issues, the other ensures you can always find what you need. Each mode offers distinct advantages: Real-Time Search provides instant access to current data and never goes offline, while Optimized Search delivers lightning-fast results with advanced features like smart ranking and complex query support.

Understanding Search Modes

Real-Time Search

Your backup search mode that provides direct database access for immediate results.

When to use:

• You need to see absolutely current data (just updated)
• You want to verify recent changes immediately
• The system is performing maintenance on the search index
• You're troubleshooting missing records
• You need simple, reliable searches with partial matching

What it provides:

• Instant data updates - See changes immediately
• Always available - Works even during system maintenance
• Essential fields - Search using the most common fields
• Direct database access - Pulls information straight from the source
• Automatic partial matching - No wildcards needed
• Forgiving searches - Finds partial matches in all fields

Limitations:

• No boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT)
• Searches primary fields only
• Results cannot be sorted by relevance score
• May take signifcantly longer than optimized search mode depending on data size

Optimized Search

Your default search mode that provides powerful features and intelligent results.

When to use:

• You want the most relevant results quickly
• You need to search using advanced criteria
• You're using complex search operators
• You want to browse large result sets efficiently
• You need to search by any field in the system

What it provides:

• Lightning-fast results - Usually under 1 second
• Smart ranking - Most relevant results appear first
• All search fields available - Search by any field in the system
• Advanced search features - Use special operators and complex queries
• Boolean operators - Combine criteria with AND, OR, NOT
• Wildcards - Use * for partial matching
• Date range operators - Search between dates

Limitations:

• Updates every few minutes (not instant)
• May be temporarily unavailable during maintenance
• Some fields require exact matching

How to Choose Your Mode

The search mode selector appears at the top of every search page. Click the toggle button next to your preferred mode to switch between them.

Tips for choosing:

• Always start with Optimized Search - it's faster and smarter
• The system automatically starts with Optimized Search each time you visit a search page
• Your search mode choice isn't saved between visits
• If Optimized Search is unavailable, the button will be disabled (grayed out)

Automatic Mode Switching

Sometimes ILLiad will automatically switch to Real-Time Search to ensure you get results. This automatic switch applies only to your current search.

You'll see a yellow information banner that says: "Using real-time search fallback: Search index unavailable"

Common reasons for automatic switching:

• System is updating the search index
• Optimized Search is temporarily busy
• Your search took longer than expected

What happens during automatic switching:

• Some advanced search fields may not be available
• The system will tell you which fields were removed
• Your basic search terms are preserved
• Results appear in database order instead of by relevance

The "Try Real-Time Search" Link

When It Appears

When using advanced search features in Optimized mode, you will see a helpful link after your results that says: "Can't find what you're looking for? Try real-time search"

This link appears when:

• You're using Optimized Search with advanced query features
• You've performed a search and have results displayed (even 0 results)

What It Does

Clicking this link:

1. Keeps your search terms
2. Switches to Real-Time Search
3. Runs a fresh search with direct database access
4. May simplify complex searches to work with available fields

tip

This is helpful when you need the absolute latest data or if you're not finding expected results.

Search Entry Points

Global Search Bar

When you use the search bar at the top of any page:

• The system automatically picks the best available mode
• If Optimized Search is available, it uses that
• If not, it seamlessly switches to Real-Time Search

Dedicated Search Pages

Each search type has its own mode selector at the top of the page.

Best Practices

Use Optimized Search When You Want To:

✅ Find the most relevant results quickly
✅ Search using advanced criteria
✅ Use complex search operators
✅ Browse large result sets efficiently
✅ Search by any field in the system

Use Real-Time Search When You Need To:

✅ See absolutely current data (just updated)
✅ Verify recent changes immediately
✅ Work during system maintenance
✅ Troubleshoot missing records
✅ Bypass search index issues

Searchable Fields Reference

Transaction Search Fields

Transaction searches can use native transaction fields plus denormalized user and lender information. Over 100 fields are available in total.

Core Transaction Fields

These fields contain information directly from the transaction record.

Field	Aliases/Prefixes	Description	Example	Available In
TransactionNumber	tn:	Unique transaction ID	tn:100234	Both
Title	title:	Combined loan/article title	title:"Moby Dick"	Optimized
Author	author:	Combined loan/article author	author:Melville	Optimized
TransactionStatus	status:	Current request status	status:Submitted	Both
ILLNumber	ill: illnumber:	ILL reference number	ill:TGQ-123456	Both
RequestType 🎯	type: requesttype:	Type of request (Loan/Article)	type:Loan	Optimized
ProcessType 🎯	process: processtype:	Processing type (Borrowing/Lending)	process:Borrowing	Both
DocumentType 🎯	doctype: documenttype:	Document type	doctype:Book	Optimized
LendingLibrary 🎯	lendinglibrary: symbol: sym:	Library symbol/code	symbol:MBS	Both
DeliveryMethod 🎯	delivery: deliverymethod:	How item is delivered	delivery:Mail	Optimized
Site 🎯	site:	Campus/site location	site:Main	Optimized
Username 🎯	un: username:	User's login ID	username:jsmith	Both
UserFirstName	firstname: first:	User's first name	firstname:John	Both
UserLastName	lastname: last:	User's last name	lastname:Smith	Both
UserOrganization	userorganization: org:	User's organization	org:"State University"	Both
LoanTitle	lt: loantitle:	Title for loan requests	lt:"War and Peace"	Both
LoanAuthor	la: loanauthor:	Author for loan requests	la:Tolstoy	Both
PhotoArticleTitle	at: photoarticletitle:	Article title	at:"Climate Change"	Both
PhotoArticleAuthor	aa: photoarticleauthor:	Article author	aa:Johnson	Both
PhotoJournalTitle	jt: photojournaltitle:	Journal title	jt:Nature	Both
CallNumber	call: callnumber:	Item call number	call:QA76.9	Both
ReferenceNumber	ref: referencenumber:	Reference/control number	ref:2024-1234	Optimized
ESPNumber	esp: espnumber: oclc: oclcnumber:	OCLC/WorldCat number	oclc:123456789	Both
SystemID	sys: systemid:	System identifier	sys:ALMA-123	Optimized
ISSN	issn:	Journal ISSN	issn:0028-0836	Optimized
Patron	patron: pat:	Patron information	patron:"Jane Doe"	Both
LenderString	lenderstring:	Lender identifier string	lenderstring:RAPID:MBS	Both
InvoiceNumber	invoice: invoicenumber: in:	Invoice number	invoice:INV-2024-001	Both
InvoiceInvoiceNumber	invoiceinvoicenumber:	Secondary invoice number	invoiceinvoicenumber:12345	Optimized
LenderAddressNumber	lenderaddressnumber:	Lender address ID	lenderaddressnumber:500	Optimized
LoanPublisher	lp: loanpublisher:	Book publisher	lp:Penguin	Optimized
LoanPlace	loanplace:	Publication place	loanplace:New York	Optimized
LoanDate	loandate:	Publication date	loandate:2024	Optimized
LoanEdition	loanedition:	Book edition	loanedition:3rd	Optimized
PhotoJournalVolume	jv: photojournalvolume:	Journal volume	jv:45	Optimized
PhotoJournalIssue	ji: photojournalissue:	Journal issue	ji:12	Optimized
PhotoJournalMonth	jm: photojournalmonth:	Publication month	jm:December	Optimized
PhotoJournalYear	jy: photojournalyear:	Publication year	jy:2024	Optimized
PhotoJournalInclusivePages	jp: photojournalinclusivepages:	Page range	jp:45-52	Optimized
PhotoItemAuthor	pia: photoitemauthor:	Item author (photocopy)	pia:Williams	Optimized
PhotoItemPlace	pip: photoitemplace:	Item publication place	pip:Boston	Optimized
PhotoItemPublisher	photoitempublisher:	Item publisher	photoitempublisher:MIT Press	Optimized
PhotoItemEdition	photoitemedition:	Item edition	photoitemedition:Revised	Optimized
CitedIn	citedin:	Citation source	citedin:PubMed	Optimized
CitedTitle	citedtitle:	Title where cited	citedtitle:"Review Article"	Optimized
CitedDate	citeddate:	Citation date	citeddate:2024-01	Optimized
CitedVolume	citedvolume:	Citation volume	citedvolume:15	Optimized
CitedPages	citedpages:	Citation pages	citedpages:123-145	Optimized
DOI	doi:	Digital Object Identifier	doi:10.1234/example	Optimized
PMID	pmid:	PubMed ID	pmid:12345678	Optimized
SpecIns	specins: specialinstructions:	Special instructions	specins:"Rush request"	Optimized
BillingCategory	billing: billingcategory:	Billing category	billing:IFM	Optimized
Location	loc: location:	Item location	location:"Stacks Level 3"	Optimized
Maxcost	maxcost:	Maximum cost allowed	maxcost:50.00	Optimized
ItemInfo1	iteminfo1:	Transaction custom field 1	iteminfo1:"Special Collection"	Optimized
ItemInfo2	iteminfo2:	Transaction custom field 2	iteminfo2:"Fragile"	Optimized
ItemInfo3	iteminfo3:	Transaction custom field 3	iteminfo3:"Faculty Request"	Optimized
ItemInfo4	iteminfo4:	Transaction custom field 4	iteminfo4:"Grant Funded"	Optimized
ItemInfo5	iteminfo5:	Transaction custom field 5	iteminfo5:"Priority"	Optimized

note

In Real-Time mode, ALL fields support partial matching. Fields marked with 🎯 require exact matching when using field prefixes in Optimized mode.

Date Fields with Special Operators

Date fields support special operators for range searching in Optimized mode:

Field	Operators	Example	Available In	Description
CreationDate	< > <= >= [TO]	CreationDate:>2024-01-01	Optimized
TransactionDate	< > <= >= [TO]	TransactionDate:[2024-01-01 TO 2024-12-31]	Optimized

Date Search Examples:

• Find requests created after January 1: CreationDate:>2024-01-01
• Find requests created in 2024: CreationDate:[2024-01-01 TO 2024-12-31]
• Find requests created before today: CreationDate:<2024-08-29
• Find requests from last 30 days: CreationDate:>=2024-07-30

User Information (Indexed with Transactions)

note

These denormalized fields are ONLY available in Optimized mode and contain user information copied when the transaction was created or modified.

Field	Aliases	Description	Example
UserFullName	userfullname:	User's complete name	UserFullName:"John Smith"
UserStatus 🎯	userstatus:	User's status (Faculty/Student/etc.)	userstatus:Faculty
UserEMailAddress 🎯	useremail: useremailaddress:	User's email address	useremail:john@library.edu
UserPhone	userphone:	User's phone number	userphone:555-1234
UserMobilePhone	usermobilephone:	User's mobile number	usermobilephone:555-5678
UserDepartment	userdepartment:	User's department	userdepartment:History
Organization	organization:	Alternative organization field	organization:"Main Campus"
UserAddress	useraddress:	User's street address	useraddress:"123 Main St"
UserAddress2	useraddress2:	User's address line 2	useraddress2:"Apt 5"
UserCity	usercity:	User's city	usercity:Boston
UserState	userstate:	User's state	userstate:MA
UserZip	userzip:	User's ZIP code	userzip:02134
UserCountry	usercountry:	User's country	usercountry:USA
NVTGC 🎯	nvtgc:	User's NVTGC code	nvtgc:MBS
UserInfo1	userinfo1:	User custom field 1	userinfo1:"VIP"
UserInfo2	userinfo2:	User custom field 2	userinfo2:"Honors Program"
UserInfo3	userinfo3:	User custom field 3	userinfo3:"Remote User"
UserInfo4	userinfo4:	User custom field 4	userinfo4:"Thesis Research"
UserInfo5	userinfo5:	User custom field 5	userinfo5:"Special Access"

note

In Real-Time mode, ALL fields support partial matching. Fields marked with 🎯 require exact matching when using field prefixes in Optimized mode.

Lender Information (Indexed with Transactions)

note

These denormalized fields contain lender information copied when the transaction was created or modified.

Field	Aliases	Description	Example	Available In
LibraryName	libraryname: lib:	Lender library name	lib:"Boston Public Library"	Both
LibraryAddress1	libaddress1: libraryaddress1: add:	Lender street address	add:"700 Boylston St"	Both
OdysseyAddress	odysseyaddress: ody:	Odyssey delivery address	ody:BPL.odyssey	Both
LibraryAddress2	libaddress2: libraryaddress2:	Lender address line 2	libaddress2:"Suite 100"	Optimized
LibraryAddress3	libaddress3: libraryaddress3:	Lender address line 3	libaddress3:"ILL Department"	Optimized
LibraryAddress4	libaddress4: libraryaddress4:	Lender address line 4	libaddress4:"Back Entrance"	Optimized
LibraryPhone	libphone: libraryphone:	Lender phone number	libphone:617-536-5400	Optimized
LibraryFax	libfax: libraryfax:	Lender fax number	libfax:617-536-5401	Optimized
ArielAddress	arieladdress:	Ariel delivery address	arieladdress:128.197.27.6	Optimized
BorrowingDeptEmail 🎯	borrowingdeptemail:	Borrowing department email	borrowingdeptemail:ill@library.edu	Optimized
LendingDeptEmail 🎯	lendingdeptemail:	Lending department email	lendingdeptemail:lending@library.edu	Optimized
Blocked 🎯	blocked:	Lender blocked status	blocked:Yes	Optimized
TrustedSender 🎯	trustedsender:	Trusted sender status	trustedsender:Yes	Optimized
EFTS 🎯	efts:	EFTS participation	efts:Yes	Optimized
ISO 🎯	iso:	ISO ILL participant	iso:Yes	Optimized
ArticleBillingCategory 🎯	articlebillingcategory:	Default article billing	articlebillingcategory:IFM	Optimized
LoanBillingCategory 🎯	loanbillingcategory:	Default loan billing	loanbillingcategory:OCLC	Optimized
BAddress1	baddress1:	Billing address line 1	baddress1:"Accounts Payable"	Optimized
BAddress2	baddress2:	Billing address line 2	baddress2:"PO Box 123"	Optimized
BAddress3	baddress3:	Billing address line 3	baddress3:"Finance Dept"	Optimized
BAddress4	baddress4:	Billing address line 4	baddress4:"Building C"	Optimized
CourierInfo	courierinfo:	Courier service details	courierinfo:"UPS Ground"	Optimized
ESPBillTo	espbillto:	ESP billing address	espbillto:12345	Optimized
ESPShipTo	espshipto:	ESP shipping address	espshipto:67890	Optimized

note

In Real-Time mode, ALL fields support partial matching. Fields marked with 🎯 require exact matching when using field prefixes in Optimized mode.

Search Relevance Ranking

Results in Optimized mode are ranked by field importance to show the most relevant matches first:

Priority Level	Boost Score	Fields	Why It's Prioritized
Highest	100	TransactionNumber	Exact transaction match
Very High	50	ILLNumber, ReferenceNumber	Unique identifiers
High	15	Username, UserFirstName, UserLastName, UserFullName	User identification
Medium	10	Title, Author, LoanTitle, LoanAuthor, PhotoArticleTitle, PhotoArticleAuthor	Item identification
Low	3	UserDepartment	Organizational grouping
Standard	1	All other fields	General information

This ranking ensures that when you search for "123456", transaction #123456 appears before items that just happen to have "123456" in their notes or other fields.

Filter Options (Optimized Mode Only)

After performing a transaction search in Optimized mode, you can further refine your results using faceted filters that appear on the left side of the results:

Available Filters:

• Request Type - Filter by Loan or Article requests
• Process Type - Filter by Borrowing or Lending transactions
• Transaction Status - Filter by current status (Submitted, Pending, Checked Out, etc.)
• Document Type - Filter by document type (Book, Article, Thesis, etc.)
• Delivery Method - Filter by how items are delivered (Mail, Electronic, Pickup, etc.)
• User Status - Filter by patron status (Faculty, Student, Staff, etc.)
• User Department - Filter by the patron's department

These filters appear automatically when your search results contain transactions with different values for these fields. You can select multiple values within each filter category to expand your results, or combine filters across categories to narrow them down.

caution

Faceted filtering is NOT available in Real-Time mode. In Real-Time mode, you must execute a new search with additional criteria to narrow your results.

User Search Fields

Find patrons using any of these fields. Fields marked with 🎯 require exact matches in Optimized mode when using field prefixes.

Field	Aliases/Prefixes	Description	Example	Available In
Username	un: user: username:	Patron's login ID	un:jsmith	Both
FirstName	first: firstname:	Given name	first:John	Both
LastName	last: lastname:	Surname	last:Smith	Both
FullName	fullname:	Complete name	fullname:"John Smith"	Both
EmailAddress 🎯	email: emailaddress:	Email address	email:john@library.edu	Both
Phone	phone:	Primary phone	phone:555-1234	Both
MobilePhone	mobile: mobilephone:	Cell phone	mobile:555-9876	Both
Department	dept: department:	Academic department	dept:History	Both
Organization	org: organization:	Institution	org:Medical	Both
Site	site:	Pickup location	site:Medical	Both
Status 🎯	status: userstatus:	Account status	status:Faculty	Both
SSN	ssn:	ID number	ssn:1234	Both
Address	add: address:	Street address	add:"123 Main St"	Both
Address2	add2: address2:	Suite/Apt	add2:"Apt 5B"	Both
City	city:	City name	city:Boston	Both
State 🎯	state:	State/Province	state:MA	Both
Zip	zip: zipcode:	Postal code	zip:02134	Both
Country	country:	Country name	country:USA	Both
NVTGC 🎯	nvtgc:	Library location	nvtgc:LAW	Optimized
UserInfo1	userinfo1:	Custom field 1	userinfo1:VIP	Optimized
UserInfo2	userinfo2:	Custom field 2	userinfo2:Preferred	Optimized
UserInfo3	userinfo3:	Custom field 3	userinfo3:donor	Optimized
UserInfo4	userinfo4:	Custom field 4	userinfo4:Research	Optimized
UserInfo5	userinfo5:	Custom field 5	userinfo5:Notes	Optimized
UserRequestLimit	userrequestlimit:	Max requests allowed	userrequestlimit:10	Optimized
Cleared 🎯	cleared:	Account cleared status	cleared:Yes	Optimized
Number	number:	System ID	number:12345	Optimized
ExpirationDate	expirationdate: expires:	Account expiration	expires:2024-12-31	Optimized
FullAddress	fulladdress:	Complete address	fulladdress:"123 Main St Boston MA"	Optimized

note

In Real-Time mode, ALL fields support partial matching. Fields marked with 🎯 require exact matching when using field prefixes in Optimized mode.

Search Tips for User Fields

Power Search Techniques

• Use field prefixes for precision: dept:Engineering
• Combine multiple fields: John Smith dept:History
• Partial searches work: Smi finds "Smith", "Smithson", "Smit"

Common User Search Scenarios

Finding a patron who just called:

• Use Real-Time Search, type their last name
• Example: Smith
• See all Smiths instantly with current info

Finding all faculty in a department:

• Use either search mode
• Example: dept:History status:Faculty
• Lists all History faculty members

Finding expired accounts (Optimized only):

• Example: expires:<2024-01-01
• Shows all accounts that have expired

Finding VIP patrons (Optimized only):

• Example: userinfo1:VIP (if UserInfo1 stores VIP status)
• Lists all patrons marked as VIP

Filter Options (Optimized Mode Only)

After performing a user search in Optimized mode, you can further refine your results using faceted filters:

Available Filters:

• Status - Filter by user status (Faculty, Student, Staff, etc.)
• Department - Filter by academic department
• Organization - Filter by institution or organization
• State - Filter by state/province
• Country - Filter by country

These filters appear automatically on the left side of your search results when users have different values for these fields. You can select multiple options within each filter to expand your results, or combine different filters to narrow them further.

caution

Faceted filtering is NOT available in Real-Time mode. In Real-Time mode, you must perform a new search with additional criteria to refine your results.

Lender Search Fields

Find libraries using any of these fields. Many specialized fields are only available in Optimized mode. Fields marked with 🎯 require exact matches in Optimized mode.

Field	Aliases/Prefixes	Description	Example	Available In
LenderString 🎯	string: lenderstring:	Library symbol/ID code	string:MBS	Both
LibraryName	name: lib: libraryname:	Full library name	lib:"Boston Public"	Both
Address1	add1: address1:	First line of address	add1:"123 Main"	Both
Address2	add2: address2:	Second line of address	add2:"Suite 100"	Both
Address3	add3: address3:	Third line of address	add3:"Building A"	Both
Address4	add4: address4:	Fourth line of address	add4:"Campus North"	Both
BorrowingDeptEmail 🎯	bmail: borrowingemail:	Borrowing department email	bmail:ill@library.edu	Both
LendingDeptEmail 🎯	lmail: lendingemail:	Lending department email	lmail:lending@lib.org	Both
OdysseyIP 🎯	ody: odysseyip: odysseyaddress:	Odyssey IP address	ody:192.168.1.1	Both
Phone	phone:	Main phone number	phone:617-555	Both
NVTGC 🎯	nvtgc: site:	Site/location code	nvtgc:MED	Optimized
AddressNumber	addressnumber: addnum:	Address record number	addnum:1	Optimized
FullAddress	fulladdress: address:	Complete address (all lines)	address:"Boston MA"	Optimized
BAddress1	baddress1: billaddress1:	Billing address line 1	baddress1:"PO Box"	Optimized
BAddress2	baddress2: billaddress2:	Billing address line 2	baddress2:"Accounting"	Optimized
BAddress3	baddress3: billaddress3:	Billing address line 3	baddress3:"Floor 3"	Optimized
BAddress4	baddress4: billaddress4:	Billing address line 4	baddress4:"Boston"	Optimized
BillingAddress	billingaddress:	Complete billing address	billingaddress:"Boston"	Optimized
Fax	fax:	Fax number	fax:617-555-0001	Optimized
ArielAddress 🎯	ariel: arieladdress:	Ariel delivery address	ariel:ariel.library.edu	Optimized
ArticleBillingCategory 🎯	articlebilling: articlebillingcategory:	Article billing type	articlebilling:FreeRecip	Optimized
LoanBillingCategory 🎯	loanbilling: loanbillingcategory:	Loan billing type	loanbilling:IFM	Optimized
PriorityShipping 🎯	priorityshipping:	Priority shipping enabled	priorityshipping:true	Optimized
CopyrightPayer 🎯	copyrightpayer:	Pays copyright fees	copyrightpayer:true	Optimized
EFTS 🎯	efts:	EFTS participant	efts:true	Optimized
ISO 🎯	iso:	ISO ILL participant	iso:true	Optimized
ISOIPAddress 🎯	isoipaddress: isoip:	ISO system IP	isoip:10.0.0.1	Optimized
ISOEMailAddress 🎯	isoemailaddress: isoemail:	ISO email address	isoemail:iso@lib.edu	Optimized
Blocked 🎯	blocked:	Blocked status	blocked:false	Optimized
TrustedSender 🎯	trustedsender:	Trusted sender status	trustedsender:true	Optimized
CourierInfo	courierinfo: courier:	Courier service details	courier:"UPS Ground"	Optimized
ESPShipTo	espshipto:	ESP shipping address	espshipto:"Main Library"	Optimized
ESPBillTo	espbillto:	ESP billing address	espbillto:"Accounts"	Optimized

note

In Real-Time mode, ALL supported fields use partial matching. Fields marked with 🎯 require exact matching in Optimized mode.

Filter Options (Optimized Mode Only)

After searching in Optimized mode, you can filter results by:

• Article/Loan Billing Categories - How libraries bill for articles and loans
• EFTS/ISO participation - Electronic transfer and ILL protocol support
• Blocked/Trusted status - Relationship status with libraries
• Copyright Payer - Libraries that handle copyright fees

These filters appear automatically when your search results include libraries with different values for these fields.

Search Tips for Lender Fields

Quick Library Lookup: Know the lender string? Use string:ABC for instant exact match

Email Domain Search: In Real-Time mode, search just the domain part like @university.edu to find all addresses at that institution

Address Search: The fulladdress: field in Optimized mode searches all four address lines at once - great for finding libraries by city or state!

Phone Area Codes: Search by area code using phone:212 to find all New York City libraries

Boolean Fields: For yes/no fields (like blocked or efts), always use lowercase true or false

Common Lender Search Scenarios

Finding Libraries by Name

• Example: lib:Boston
• Returns any library with "Boston" in the name

Finding EFTS Participants in a State

• Example: efts:true AND address:Massachusetts (Optimized mode)
• Shows all EFTS-enabled libraries in Massachusetts

Finding Libraries on Main Street

• Example: add1:"Main Street"
• Use quotes for phrases with spaces!

Search Query Syntax

ILLiad has three types of searches, each with its own set of searchable fields:

• User Search: Find patrons by username, department, status, etc.
• Transaction Search: Find requests by transaction number, title, status, dates, etc.
• Lender Search: Find libraries by name, code, address, etc.

The examples below indicate which search type they apply to.

Quick Reference

What You Want	What to Type	Example	Mode Required
Find any match	text	Smith	Both
Specific field	field:value	Username:jsmith	Both
Multiple criteria	AND	Title:statistics AND Author:Smith	Optimized
Either/or	OR	Status:Pending OR Status:Submitted	Optimized
Exclude	NOT or -	NOT Chemistry or -Chemistry	Optimized
Partial match	*	John*	Optimized
Date range	[date TO date]	CreationDate:[2024-01-01 TO 2024-12-31]	Optimized
Exact phrase	"phrase"	"interlibrary loan"	Both
All results	*	*	Both

Basic Search

Simple Text Search

Just type what you're looking for. The system searches across all searchable fields automatically.

Example: statistics

• Finds "statistics" in titles, notes, usernames, anywhere it appears

tip

Searches are never case-sensitive. Type SMITH, Smith, or smith - you'll get the same results!

Getting All Results

Need to see everything?

• Type * to show all records
• Leave search box empty and click Search (same result in Real-Time mode)

Field-Specific Search

Target exactly what you need by using the field name followed by a colon and your search term.

Format: FieldName:value

Common Fields You Can Search

User Search Fields:

• Username:jsmith - Find specific user (User Search)
• Department:History - All users from History department (User Search)
• UserStatus:Faculty - All faculty users (User Search)

Transaction Search Fields:

• TransactionNumber:123456 - Find specific transaction (Transaction Search)
• Title:statistics - Search in request titles (Transaction Search)
• LoanAuthor:Smith - Find by author (Transaction Search)
• ISSN:1234-5678 - Find by ISSN (Transaction Search)
• CallNumber:QA276 - Find by call number (Transaction Search)
• TransactionStatus:Submitted - Find by current status (Transaction Search)
• CreationDate:2024-01-15 - Specific date (Transaction Search)
• CreationDate:>2024-01-01 - After a date (Transaction Search)
• DueDate:<2024-02-01 - Before a date (Transaction Search)

Lender Search Fields:

• LibraryName:"Boston Public" - Find specific library (Lender Search)
• LenderString:MBS - Find by library code (Lender Search)

Combining Field Searches

You can search multiple fields at once:

• Transaction Search: Username:jsmith TransactionStatus:Submitted - Both must match (implicit AND in Real-Time mode)
• User Search: Department:History Status:Faculty - History dept faculty users

Boolean Operators (Optimized Mode Only)

warning

Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) only work in Optimized search mode.

AND - Both Terms Must Match

Transaction Search: Username:jsmith AND TransactionStatus:Submitted

• Finds jsmith's submitted requests only

Transaction Search: Title:statistics AND LoanAuthor:Smith

• Books about statistics written by Smith

OR - Either Term Can Match

Transaction Search: TransactionStatus:Pending OR TransactionStatus:Submitted

• Finds requests that are either pending or submitted

Transaction Search: Notes:rush OR Notes:urgent OR Notes:ASAP

• Any urgent requests

NOT - Exclude Terms

User Search: Department:History NOT Username:jsmith

• History department users, but not jsmith

Any Search: NOT Chemistry

• Excludes anything with "Chemistry"

Transaction Search: -Username:jsmith (alternative syntax)

• All transactions except jsmith's

Combining Operators

You can create complex searches: User Search: (Status:Faculty OR Status:Staff) AND Department:History

• Faculty or staff users from History only

Transaction Search: (TransactionStatus:Pending OR TransactionStatus:Submitted) AND Username:jsmith

• Pending or submitted requests from jsmith

tip

AND has higher priority than OR. Use parentheses to control the order!

Wildcards (Optimized Mode Only)

Use asterisks at the end of terms to find variations of words.

Examples:

• John* - Finds John, Johnson, Johnny, Johns (in any text field)
• Stat* - Finds Statistics, Statistical, Status (in any text field)
• User Search: Username:j* - All usernames starting with 'j'
• Transaction Search: Title:bio* - Finds biology, biography, biochemistry in titles

caution

Leading wildcards (*term) are not supported - only trailing wildcards work.

Date Searches (Optimized Mode Only)

Find requests by date using these operators:

Operator	Meaning	Example
:	Exact date	CreationDate:2024-01-15
>	After date	CreationDate:>2024-01-01
<	Before date	DueDate:<2024-02-01
>=	On or after	CreationDate:>=2024-01-01
<=	On or before	DueDate:<=2024-02-01
[... TO ...]	Date range (inclusive)	CreationDate:[2024-01-01 TO 2024-01-31]
{... TO ...}	Date range (exclusive)	CreationDate:{2024-01-01 TO 2024-12-31}
[... TO *]	Open-ended range	CreationDate:[2024-01-01 TO *]

Recommended format: YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2024-01-15)

note

Other date formats may work but YYYY-MM-DD is recommended for consistency.

Phrase Searches

Use quotes to search for exact phrases:

Examples:

• "interlibrary loan" - Finds this exact phrase
• Title:"statistics for beginners" - Exact title match
• Notes:"rush request" - Exact phrase in notes
• LibraryName:"Boston Public Library" - Exact library name

tip

Without quotes, the system finds records with all the words anywhere. With quotes, it finds the exact phrase.

Practical Examples

Transaction Search Examples

Finding All Pending Requests from This Month

• Optimized Mode: TransactionStatus:Pending AND CreationDate:>2024-01-01

Finding Books by Title Words

• Real-Time Mode: statistics regression (performs a keyword search to find both terms in any of the title or author fields)
• Optimized Mode: Title:statistics AND Title:regression (both in title)

Finding Overdue Items

• Optimized Mode: DueDate:<2024-01-29 AND TransactionStatus:"Checked Out"

All Requests from a User Today

• Optimized Mode: Username:jsmith AND CreationDate:2024-01-29

Items from Specific Collection

• Optimized Mode: Location:"Main Library" AND CallNumber:QA*

Recently Modified Requests

• Optimized Mode: TransactionDate:[2024-01-25 TO *]

User Search Examples

Finding All Faculty Users Except One Department

• Optimized Mode: UserStatus:Faculty NOT Department:Chemistry

Finding Users by Email Domain

• Optimized Mode: Email:*@university.edu

Lender Search Examples

Finding Libraries by State

• Optimized Mode: Address:Massachusetts AND EFTS:true

Search Tips

Start Simple, Then Refine

1. Start with a basic search
2. Review initial results
3. Add filters to narrow down
4. Switch to Optimized mode for complex filters

Performance Tips

tip

Searches are limited to 1000 characters

tip

Use specific fields when possible (faster than searching everything)

tip

In Real-Time mode, partial matching is automatic (no wildcards needed)

tip

Results are paginated - use filters to reduce result sets

Fallback Behavior

When Optimized search is unavailable or fails, the system automatically falls back to Real-Time search:

• Field:value patterns that work in Real-Time are preserved
• Optimized-only fields are stripped from the query
• Unprefixed text becomes a general keyword search
• Results indicate when fallback occurred

Troubleshooting Query Issues

No Results Found

Solutions:

• Check spelling (though search is forgiving)
• Remove quotes if searching for individual words
• Try Real-Time mode for automatic partial matching
• Broaden your search criteria

Too Many Results

Solutions:

• Add more specific criteria
• Use field-specific searches
• Switch to Optimized mode for AND operator
• Add date ranges to limit results

Boolean Operators Not Working

Solution: Switch to Optimized mode - boolean operators only work there

Unbalanced Parentheses

Issue: Unmatched parentheses are automatically removed Solution: Ensure every ( has a matching )

Real-Time Mode-Specific Limitations

• No boolean (AND, OR, NOT), wildcard, or date-range operators are supported in queries
• Limited set of searchable fields
• Slower search execution
• No post-search facets are available to further narrow down results after a search is performed, must execute a brand new query

Additional Troubleshooting

"My search mode keeps changing"

Cause: The system is protecting you from search failures
Solution: This is normal - the system ensures you always get results

"I can't find a record I just created"

Cause: Optimized Search updates every few minutes
Solution: Switch to Real-Time Search to see immediate changes

"Some search fields are missing"

Cause: Real-Time Search only supports core fields
Solution: Switch to Optimized Search for all fields

"My search is taking a long time"

Cause: Large result sets in Real-Time mode
Solution: Try Optimized Search for faster results

"I get results in one mode but not the other"

Cause: Different search methods may interpret queries differently
Solution: Try both modes or simplify your search terms

No Results Found

Problem: Your search returns no results Solutions:

• Check spelling, especially for exact match fields (marked with 🎯)
• Remove quotes unless searching for an exact phrase
• Try Real-Time mode for more forgiving partial matches (if available)
• Use wildcards in Optimized mode: Bost* finds Boston, Bostwick, etc.
• Broaden your search criteria or search fewer fields at once

Too Many Results

Problem: Hundreds or thousands of results returned Solutions:

• Add more specific criteria to narrow down
• Use field-specific searches instead of general text
• Switch to Optimized mode to use AND operator
• Add date ranges to limit time period
• Use exact match fields when you know precise values

Field Not Searching

Problem: A specific field doesn't seem to work Solutions:

• Verify the field is available in your current mode
• Check if field requires Optimized mode (see field tables)
• Use the correct field alias or prefix
• Some custom fields may not be configured for your library

Boolean Operators Not Working

Problem: AND, OR, NOT operators have no effect Solution: Switch to Optimized mode - boolean operators ONLY work there

Unbalanced Parentheses

Problem: Complex searches with parentheses fail Solution: Ensure every opening ( has a matching closing )

info

Unmatched parentheses are automatically removed by the system

Tips for Success

Start Simple, Then Refine

Begin with basic searches and add criteria gradually. It's easier to broaden a search that returns nothing than to narrow one with thousands of results.

Master Field Shortcuts

Save time with abbreviated prefixes:

• un: instead of Username:
• tn: instead of TransactionNumber:
• lib: instead of LibraryName:
• dept: instead of Department:

Remember Exact Match Fields

Fields marked with 🎯 require exact values in Optimized mode. Even small differences matter:

• email:john@library.edu won't find john@library.org
• status:Faculty won't find Faculty Member

Date Search Best Practices

• Use YYYY-MM-DD format for consistency
• Range operators [TO] for inclusive dates
• Open-ended ranges: CreationDate:[2024-01-01 TO *]

Check Both Search Modes

If one mode doesn't return expected results, try the other. Each mode searches differently and may find different matches.

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Navigation

Return to Top | Search Modes | Query Syntax | Field Reference

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This guide consolidates all ILLiad search documentation into a single comprehensive reference. Last updated: September 2025.