Searching for something and not finding any answers is unfortunate, but finding too many answers can be just as frustrating.
Most of us are familiar with performing simple searches. If you need to know something, you can just open up your favorite search engine and ask it a question. If your search results come back with thousands or hundreds of thousands of results, chances are you’ll just look at the first few hits. If you’re desperate, you go to the second page. Part of the library’s work is finding ways to perform better, more efficient searches.
Luckily there are a couple of options to help narrow those results down and make them more relevant. One way is to include Boolean Operators to create a search string that limits the search in a very specific way. But what if your search string is too long and confusing, or you don’t how how to create one? Another option is to limit those results after the search. HeinOnline has made that even easier with new Enhanced Faceting.
Facets are a really helpful way to improve a search that gives too many results. Instead of starting with a complicated search, you can limit the search results afterwards to make the list smaller. This method is important because it helps you find what you need more accurately by customizing your search. It also saves time by avoiding the need to go through a lot of irrelevant or unnecessary results. After your search, you can select filters in various categories to focus on relevant aspects, or weed out unnecessary results.
The nice thing about the HeinOnline version is that it is done in real-time so you can see how the results will be filtered.
Try it yourself next time your searching in HeinOnline. If you ever need help finding something, or would like assistance in learning how to use this, or other databases, contact us at Library@Lawsociety.mb.ca.
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