Factotum

Newsletter of the English STC
incorporating the XVIIIth century STC.


earching ESTC on RLIN.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

STRUCTURE AND DESCRIPTION OF ESTC RECORDS

SEARCHING THE ESTC IN RLIN

Getting into the file

Searching basics

Indexes

Logical operators

ALSO/ALSO NOT

Displays

Moving around

Online help

APPENDIX (Tables of Changes in Functionality)

INTRODUCTION

The English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC) is a bibliographic database. Chronologically, it extends from the earliest Caxton incunabulum (ca. 1473) through the last item printed in 1800. Geographically, it includes "1. All relevant items printed in the British Isles in any language; 2. All relevant items printed in Colonial America, the United States (1776-1800), and Canada; in any language; 3. All relevant items printed in territories governed by Britain during any period [through 1800]; in any language; 4. All relevant items, printed wholly or partly in English, or other British vernaculars, in any other part of the world." All letterpress items (with these few exceptions: forms, trade and visiting cards, labels, tickets, invitations, bookplates, playbills, concert and theatre programs, playing cards, games and puzzles), as well as some categories of engraved material, are included.

The ESTC is also a union list. Over 1,500 institutions in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand have reported their holdings to the North American and English editorial offices of the ESTC; each record in the file has appended to it a list of locations at which copies of the item may be found.

The ESTC is available in both CD-ROM and online versions. In the United Kingdom and Australia it is available through BLAISE-LINE, the British Library's information network. In North America (and, increasingly, in other parts of the world), it is available through the Research Libraries Group, Inc., through two services:
---RLIN, used mainly by experienced searchers and technical processing users, which offers MARC-tagged displays and support for cataloging; and
---Eureka, which offers easy-to-use searching tools and displays along with online help and e-mail support for sending results over the Internet.
This manual is designed for users of RLIN.

Note that this manual deals only with monographs. In the next year or so, following format integration, the ESTC will include records for serials created as part of its Early English Serials project. Later publications will discuss ESTC serial records and how to search and interpret them.

Some of what follows can also be found online. See below, the section titled Online help. Note that the text of this manual is fixed, while the online help screens may be modified and improved at any time. When in doubt, look online.

NOTE: All commands and search requests found in this manual are printed in upper case, e.g. SHOW FILE EST; however, it is not necessary to type them in upper case, and commands can be abbreviated to the first three letters of each word. After its first appearance in this manual, each command appears in its three-letter form.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: This manual could not have been written without Liz Chapman, of RLG, and David Hunter, whose 1987 Factotum Occasional Paper 5, "Searching ESTC on RLIN," provided more than just the inspiration for this effort, as discerning readers are likely to note. This manual is, at least in part, a revision of Hunter's paper, which is itself a revision of Factotum Occasional Paper 2, written by R.C. Alston and J.C. Singleton in 1982. All errors and infelicities are, of course, my own.

STRUCTURE AND DESCRIPTION OF ESTC RECORDS

The system of coding bibliographic information that is used by the ESTC and by many libraries is called MARC (Machine Readable Cataloging). Data in each record are divided into fields, and fields are further divided into subfields. Thus the imprint field (260) has three subfields: a, place of publication; b, rest of imprint; c, date. The following are the fields in an ESTC record. The mnemonic or MARC tag with which each is associated follows the name in parentheses).

Record Control Number (ID): This is a unique number assigned to each record. A number consists of a prefix letter and a series of digits. There are a number of prefix letters currently in use, with a variety of significations:

S = records for items printed prior to 1641, though occasionally S = records for items with later imprints but which are found on the University Microfilms International (UMI) microfilm set "Early English books, 1475-1640."

R = records for items printed between 1641 and 1700, though occasionally R = records for items printed outside this span of dates but which appear on the UMI microfilm set "Early English books, 1641-1700."

W = records for items printed in North America, though occasionally records for items printed in North America which were erroneously filmed as part of a microfilm set have the prefix appropriate to that set.

T = records for items printed between 1701 and 1800 catalogued by the British Library, though occasionally T = records for items which later are found to be printed pre-1701.

N = records for items printed between 1701 and 1800 catalogued by ESTC-North America, though occasionally N = records for items which later are found to be printed pre-1701.

Genre (GNR): The genre field identifies, by a single letter code, advertisements (a); directories (d); prospectuses and proposals for printing (p); songs and other single-sheet verse (s); and almanacs (v).

Name Type (PSI): This field contains coded information about the heading in the 100 field. If the work is attributed to a pseudonym or initialism, but the author's real name is known, and this is used in the 100, PSI = 1. If the 100 field contains a name or phrase known to be a pseudonym or other disguise, PSI = 2. If the MARC tag 100 contains initials, PSI = 3.

Country of Publication (CP): The USMARC code for the country of publication is recorded here. When the country of publication is completely uncertain, the value "xx" is used.

Language (L): The USMARC code for the main language of the work is recorded here. When there are three or more languages, the value "mul" is used.

Publication Date (PD): PD contains one or two four-digit dates relating to the publication or release of the work. Two dates are used when the work has been published over a period of time, e.g., a work is in two volumes, the first of which was published in 1705 and the second in 1707 (PD = 1705/1707), or when the publication date is uncertain. In the latter case a range of possible dates is given.

System Control Number (035): This field contains the Record Control Numbers formerly held by records which have been deleted, so that numbers no longer used can be traced.

Cataloguing Source (040): This field contains the USMARC code of the organization(s) that created the original record, transcribed it into machine-readable form, and/or subsequently modified it, as well as the description conventions under which the item was catalogued.

Author (100, 110, 111): Personal, corporate and conference name headings are established in conformity with the principles laid down in Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, second edition (AACR2). Headings, except for pseudonyms and initialisms, are entered into the Library of Congress's Name Authority File.

Uniform Title (130, 240): A uniform title is used to bring together editions of the same work published with varying titles. Wherever possible the form of the first edition is used. For "classic" works, a conventional form is used, e.g., Gulliver's Travels. For translations, the form of the title in the original language is given. Subfields are used to designate: 1) language of translation, 2) number or name of the part or section, 3) whether the item is a selection, abridgement, adaptation, prospectus, etc. Government documents are categorized by means of uniform titles.

Uniform Title Filing (239): This is an ESTC local field in which a code that aids in achieving canonical filing of Bibles is recorded.

Collective Title (243): This field is used to bring together collections of an author's works, complete, selected, or by genre.

Title (245): ESTC titles are transcribed quite fully with the object of conveying as much information as possible about the item, including author statements and the names of editors, translators and illustrators. Title page punctuation is retained. With the exception of articles and a few very common words, every word in the title field is indexed. Non-Latin scripts are romanized according to Library of Congress practice.

Varying Form of Title (246): This field contains forms of the title which appear on different parts of an item, e.g., half-title, docket title, running title, etc. (if they differ from the form found in the title itself), portions of the title proper, and alternative forms of the title.

Edition (250): Edition statements are recorded in this field unless they are followed by a portion of the title itself; in that case edition statements are recorded in the title field.

Date Filing (259): This is an ESTC local field which is used to ensure correct filing by date of imprint when the date of publication as transcribed in 260 subfield c is corrected because of a misprint or error.

Imprint (260): The imprint is divided into three subfields:

Subfield a, the place of publication, which is transcribed as found on the title page or colophon and is regularized as required by means of the local 960 field, e.g., on the title page the place of publication is "Oxonii": this is recorded in 260 subfield a; a 960 with the form "Oxford" is added to the record. The 960 is indexed along with the 260 subfield a. For imprints deemed to be false, ESTC adds the surmised or known place of publication in square brackets immediately following the form as found, e.g., "Londres [i.e. Paris?]", "London [i.e. Edinburgh]".

Subfield b, the rest of the imprint, which is transcribed as given, except in records with ID prefixes T and N, in which the address is omitted. Where several booksellers and/or publishers are listed, T and N records give at least the first five.

Subfield c, the date, which is transcribed as given, except in records with ID prefixes T and N in which roman numeral dates are transcribed in Arabic numerals. Dates given as roman numerals or chronograms are followed by a bracketed Arabic transcription.

Edition Filing (269): This ESTC local field is structured to allow filing by place of publication, edition number, impression and issue.

Physical Description (300): The pagination is recorded exactly as found, with unnumbered pages that are not part of a roman or Arabic sequence being recorded in square brackets. Integral blank leaves, when known, are included in pagination, except in T and N records. The presence of illustrative matter is recorded. Format is given according to the accepted convention. Single sheet items are described as fractions of a sheet, e.g., 1/20, 1/40. In items smaller than 120, the format is often difficult to determine; in such cases the format should be regarded as an approximation.

General Note (500, 509): When the formal description does not adequately identify the edition, impression, or issue, notes are added. Notes also cover topics such as authorship, subject, genre, language, physical description, and publication details. They provide valuable additional information that is fully searchable. Less formal, in-house, notes are relegated to the 509 field; they are also searchable.

Bibliographical Reference Note (510): Reference is made, when appropriate, to standard bibliographies, catalogues, lists and articles.

Reproduction (Facsimile) Note (533): Information about microfilm and other facsimile editions is recorded in this field.

Personal, Corporate, Conference Name Subject (600, 610, 611): These fields contain personal, corporate or conference names used as subject added entries. Personal, corporate and conference name headings used as subjects are established in conformity with the principles laid down in Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, second edition (AACR2). Headings, except for pseudonyms and initialisms, are entered into the Library of Congress's Name Authority File. Sometimes a particular work is the subject. If the author is known, a name/title subject added entry is supplied. The title is found in subfield t. Subject headings are only found on records for items printed before 1701.

Uniform Title Subject (630): When a particular work is the subject, and when the title, rather than an author's name, is the main access point for that work, e.g., the author is unknown, a subject added entry for the title is supplied. Subject headings are only found on records for items printed before 1701.

Topical Subject (650): Topical subject headings are general terms which can be searched to bring together all works on the same subject. They include names of events and objects. Topical subject headings are listed in the Library of Congress Subject Headings. Subject headings are only found on records for items printed before 1701.

Geographical Subject (651): When a geographical place is the subject, e.g., Great Britain, Hebrides (Scotland), a geographical subject added entry is supplied. Subject headings are only found on records for items printed before 1701.

Personal, Corporate, Conference Name Added Entry (700, 710, 711): This field is used for additional personal names such as those for collaborating authors, editors, translators, and authors of works that have been adapted or substantially revised (headings for editors and translators are not generally found in N and T records). Personal, corporate and conference name headings used as added entries are established in conformity with the principles laid down in Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, second edition (AACR2). Headings, except for pseudonyms and initialisms, are entered into the Library of Congress's Name Authority File. Sometimes an added entry is needed for a particular work of an author. In such cases a name/title added entry is supplied. The title is found in subfield t.

Title Added Entry (730, 740): When an added entry is required for a particular work, and when the title, rather than an author's name, is the main access point for that work, a title added entry is supplied. Title added entries are often included for analytics.

Uniform Title Filing (739): This ESTC local field parallels the 239, and helps achieve canonical filing of the Bible when the heading for the Bible is an added entry.

Locations: British Isles (LIB, REG = b): The symbols used for British and Irish libraries are those in R.C. Alston, A Bibliography of the English Language, with additions.

Locations: North America (LIB, REG = n): The symbols used for North American libraries are those established by the Library of Congress for the National Union Catalog.

Locations: Other Countries (LIB, REG = o): Australian and New Zealand libraries have the symbols allocated by their respective national libraries. For European libraries the symbols are those used by Alston with additions.

Shelfmark (Call Number) (SMK): In an attempt to assist subject searching through the use of the Library of Congress or Dewey Decimal classification systems, the spacing, punctuation and abbreviations in call numbers used by North American libraries have been standardized. For further information contact the North American office. The shelfmarks for British Library and other British, Irish, European, Australian and New Zealand copies are indexed with punctuation intact.

Copynote (CPN): Notes which are copy-specific are generally found in this field.

Normalized Place of Publication (960): This field is designed to bring together all works published in any particular place, regardless of the form of the name as found in the imprint.

SEARCHING THE ESTC IN RLIN

Getting into the file

The ESTC is a separate file in RLIN. Log on to RLIN with your RLIN account and password. At the "COMMAND>" prompt type CALL RLIN (SEARCH). A menu will appear. Choose option 1. Depending on the account's default settings, the searcher will go to the Books (BKS) file or to the ESTC. If the account defaults to BKS, type SELECT FILE EST.

Searching basics

Search requests are tripartite: 1) the command; 2) the index(es) to be searched; 3) the value(s) sought. The basic command in the search request is FIND. This is followed by the index to be searched and the value: FIN <index> <value>; For example, FIN ID T12345 retrieves the record with that control number; FIN TW IRON will retrieve all records which have the word "iron" in the title.

When specifying a value, one may truncate, that is, enter a partial value which ends with # (hash) as the final character; the search request will retrieve all values that begin with the characters of the index value. For example, the search request FIN TW THEAT# will retrieve records that have words in their titles that begin with "theat", e.g., "theatre", "theater", "theatrical", "Theatatus". Truncation can be particularly useful when a word has more than one spelling.

Indexes

There are two types of indexes: phrase indexes and word indexes. When using phrase indexes the value must be entered exactly as it appears in the record, though it can be truncated. If you know the exact value, these indexes are the most efficient for retrieving a known title or a known author. Phrase indexes (and those which function as phrase indexes) are:

ID	(Record Control Number)
GNR	(Genre Code)
CPB	(Country of Publication)
LG	(Language of Publication)
LDN	(System Control Number)
PE	(Exact Personal Name)
CP	(Corporate/Conference Name Phrase)
TP	(Title Phrase)
IMP	(Imprint Phrase)
NRP	(Note Reference Phrase [Exact Citation])
SP	(Subject Phrase)
SD	(Subject Subdivision)
LIB	(Holding Library)
SMK	(Shelfmark/Call Number)

The other indexes are word indexes. With the exception of a few common words ("stop-words" such as articles, prepositions and conjunctions; RLIN will indicate when a search contains a stop-word) every word in the field being searched is indexed separately. A year, e.g., 1717, is regarded as a word in this context. The word indexes are:

PYR	(Date of Publication)
PN	(Personal Name)
CW	(Corporate Word)
TW	(Title Word)
IPL	(Imprint Place)
IMW	(Imprint Word)
IYR	(Imprint Year)
NGW	(Note Word)
NRW	(Citation Word or Number)
SW	(Subject Word)
LW	(Location of Item [Institution Name])

PN is a special case. Not all words that form parts of names are indexed. Surnames, with or without forenames or initials, some terms of quality or epithets, and the names of monarchs can be searched. See below for more on searching personal names.

ID and LDN are also special cases in that, though they are phrase indexes, it is not necessary to type all the zeros which follow the letter prefix and which precede the numerical portion, e.g., R002037 can be searched as FIN ID R002037 or FIN ID R2037 (or FIN LDN R002037 or FIN LDN R2037).

RLIN offers online help which contains further explanations of the indexes and hints for using them in searches. These are reproduced below. Some comments have been added, as well as examples of search requests.

If you are looking for a particular record, and know the Record Control Number (ID), a FIN ID <value> search is the most direct and economical way to retrieve that record.

Occasionally, the ESTC is forced to delete a record. The deleted record may duplicate another record in the file; it may represent a "ghost." Whatever the reason, it is recognized that ESTC IDs are often used in bibliographic citations. Therefore, the ID numbers of deleted records are added to the System Control Number field (035) of the record or records which supersede the deleted one, and indexed under LDN. If you look for an ID number which is no longer an "active" ID, you will receive the message "Record <value> not in selected files". If you then type FIN LDN <value>, the record or records which have superseded the deleted one will be retrieved.

This index searches the portion of the MARC field 008 known as GNR.

CPB searches the portion of the MARC field 008 known in RLIN as CP. FIN CPB XXC, e.g., retrieves all items printed in Canada. Do not search FIN CPB ENK (the code for England), though ALSO CPB ENK can be used to refine a search result.

LG searches the portion of the MARC field 008 known in RLIN as L. FIN LG ITA, e.g., retrieves all items printed in Italian. Do not search FIN LG ENG (the code for English), though ALSO LG ENG can be used to refine a search result.

PYR searches the portion of the MARC field 008 known in RLIN as PD. PYR should be used instead of IYR unless you want to search a string just as it appears on the title page, e.g., "MDCLXV".

PYR is also used when you are looking for records with a range of dates, e.g., FIN PN SWIFT AND PYR FROM 1735 TO 1740, which retrieves all items with the name Swift in the 100 or 700 which have 1735, 1736, 1737, 1738, 1739 and/or 1740 in PD, or FIN PYR BEFORE 1501, which retrieves all the incunabula in the file.

See IYR, below, for more on searching by date of publication.

PN and PE search the MARC fields 100 and 700.

PN is used when you are unsure of the exact form of the heading that has been established for an author. A PN search will not only find names that match the search values exactly but also any names that could expand or continue the search values, e.g., FIN PN FREDERICK JONES also retrieves records with the headings Frederic Jones and F. Jones; FIN PN SAM SMITH also retrieves Samuel Smith and Samantha Smith. If in doubt use the most general search value that is appropriate, such as a single initial and surname. Once the desired form of heading is known, an ALSO 100 or ALSO 700 search with an appropriate string, e.g., the dates, can be used to eliminate all irrelevant records.

PE is used when the exact form of heading is known. As noted above, only part of the heading is actually indexed. Though the heading for, e.g., John Wynn Baker is "Baker, John Wynn, ca. 1730-1775", you should omit the dates in a PE search, and should structure the search request FIN PE JOHN WYNN BAKER (or FIN PE BAKER, JOHN WYNN).

Omit the dates in a PN search as well.

CW and CP search the MARC fields 110, 111, 710 and 711. They parallel PN and PE above, in the sense that the former is used when the exact form of heading is not known, while the latter is used when you know the exact form.

In the "Description of ESTC Fields", above, it was noted that headings are created in accordance with AACR2 and are entered into the Library of Congress's Name Authority File. One exception has been made to this policy. Since the heading for Great Britain is the largest and most complex within the ESTC, the decision was made, early on, to ignore AACR2 and to use the following headings instead:

England	(to be used for government documents prior to 1536, and the incorporation of Wales)
England and Wales	(to be used for government documents issued between 1536 and 1707)
Great Britain	(to be used for government documents issued after 1 May 1707)
Ireland
Scotland

TW and TP search the MARC fields 130, 240, 245, 246, 700/710/711 subfield t, 730 and 740. TW can be considered a form of keyword, or subject, searching, e.g., FIN TW MUTINY retrieves all items with "mutiny" in the title, thus a number of items about mutiny.

Searches using the TP index must begin with the initial words of the title, omitting any initial article. If the words "and", "or", or "and not" (the logical operators, see below for their use) are in the title, the title must be enclosed in double quotation marks.

IPL searches the MARC fields 260, subfield a, and 960. FIN IPL OXON# retrieves all items with "Oxonii" in the 260; FIN IPL OXFORD retrieves all items with Oxon, Oxonii, or Oxford, etc.

IMW and IMP search the MARC field 260, subfield b. IMW is used to search any word or words in the imprint, e.g., FIN IMW SIGN# BIBLE retrieves all records which have the words "sign [or signe]" and "Bible" in this subfield. FIN IMP PRINTED AT THE SIGN OF THE BIBLE# only retrieves records in which those exact words begin the 260, subfield b. It would not retrieve records with imprints which had "imprinted", nor would it retrieve those with "signe". But it is useful if you know the exact wording in this portion of the imprint.

Note that addresses are omitted from most T and N records.

IYR searches the MARC field 260, subfield c.

NGW searches the MARC fields 500, 509 and the portion of the 852 field known in RLIN as CPN (Copy-Specific Note). This search is very useful for it enables the user to find edition-specific information on authorship (if in doubt due to anonymity or pseudonymity), publication history, contents, language, the type of work and subject (if not obvious from the title), relations to other texts, the presence of half-titles, color printing, advertisements, indexes, mispaginations, and other physical aspects, points of identification for variants, etc., as well as copy-specific information such as provenance, interleaving, imperfections, etc.

NRW and NRP search the MARC field 510. Use as precise a search as possible, e.g., a searcher seeks Wing F50. FIN NRW F50 will retrieve records with citations from Wing's Short-Title Catalogue ... 1641-1700, Foxon's English Verse 1701-1750, and any other cited bibliography which has an item F50. Either FIN NRW WING F50 or FIN NRP WING 2ND ED. F50 will eliminate the unwanted Foxon item; the latter is more precise, but will not work unless the values are entered exactly as they appear in the record.

SW, SD and SP search the MARC fields 600, 610, 611, 630, 650 and 651. As noted above, these tags are found only in records for items which were published before 1701. If you know the precise form of a subject heading, use SP. If you do not know the precise form, or if you wish to cast a wider net, use SW.

SD searches subject heading subdivisions. Subdivisions can be considered as terms which both "subarrange" a large number of entries under a particular subject, e.g., geographically or temporally, and which limit the scope of the larger heading. Subdivisions, excepting geographical ones, are found in the Library of Congress Subject Headings list and its attendant manuals.

This index searches the portion of the MARC field 852 known in RLIN as LIB. This search retrieves records for all the items in the file that are held by a particular institution. Each ESTC record contains a list of institutions which have reported to the ESTC that they hold a copy of the item described. The ESTC divides these institutions into three regions: b, the British Isles; n, North America; and o, Other Countries. The symbols for these institutions, as well as their regions, are shown on the Collections (COL) display, under the dotted line (for more on displays, see Displays, below). As noted above, some library symbols, e.g., O, are used for libraries in more than one region. FIN LIB O e.g., retrieves records from the library in region b (the Bodleian) which has O as its symbol and the library in region n (the State Library of Ohio) which uses the same symbol. Use LW, e.g. FIN LW BODLEIAN (see below for more on LW) instead of LIB to restrict the search result to just one institution.

In the Partial (PAR) display, the spelled-out names of the institutions are displayed beneath the dotted line. In the Full MARC (FUL or BIB) display, the locations, and their regions, appear in the EHO segment of the record.

The meanings of the symbols used in the ESTC are not self-evident. Thus, many users of the file have been forced to procure a list of library symbols from an ESTC editorial office. The command SHOW LIB <value> eliminates that need. Note that this is case-sensitive. SHO LIB CSmH, for example, retrieves the message "CSmH is Henry E. Huntington Library." When a symbol represents institutions in more than one region, e.g. O, above, all institution names are retrieved.

Locations are listed as verified or unverified, depending on the amount of information supplied by the reporting institution. Verified locations are followed by the shelfmarks (call numbers) and by any necessary copy-specific notes. Unverified locations are for those copies which the ESTC staff cannot match to a record exactly, but which are almost certainly copies of the item described. Neither shelfmark nor copy notes are recorded for unverified copies.

LW searches a behind-the-scenes table in RLIN which expands the library symbols found in LIB into words, and retrieves all relevant records. FIN LW BIBLE, for example, retrieves records for items held by the American Bible Society. FIN PN JOHN MILTON AND LW OXFORD retrieves the Milton items held in Oxford libraries. This feature should be useful to scholars planning travel for research purposes.

SMK searches the portion of the MARC field 852 known in RLIN as SMK. It retrieves records for all items with the same shelfmark (call number). This is a tricky index. Since there has been some attempt at regularization of shelfmarks, and since shelfmarks often contain a great deal of punctuation, it is important that the searcher knows the exact string as it appears in the ESTC before attempting this search.

Logical operators

Within the search request, three logical operators can be used: AND, OR and AND NOT. Search terms may be combined using the logical operators.

The operator AND is assumed in word searches. Thus FIN TW SLAVE SUGAR PLANTATIONS will retrieve records which have all three words in the title fields. The effect of the operator AND, whether assumed or specified, is to limit a search, since only records containing all of the search terms will be retrieved. AND also can be used to create searches which combine values in two or more fields, e.g., FIN PN MILTON AND TW PARADISE, which retrieves records which have an author named Milton and which have the word "paradise" in the title, or FIN CW CHARLES AND IPL OXFORD AND PYR FROM 1642 TO 1645, which retrieves records which have a corporate name which includes the word "Charles", which have the imprint place "Oxford", and which were published between 1642 and 1645.

The operator OR is used to retrieve records which contain either or both specified terms, e.g., FIN TW EXCISE OR CUSTOMS retrieves records which have "excise" in the title, which have "customs" in the title, and which have "excise" and "customs" in the title. The effect of linking terms with OR is to expand the search as widely as possible.

The operator AND NOT (it is sufficient to type NOT) must be used with care since it excludes all records with the specified term. FIN TW CHURCH AND NOT ENGLAND (or FIN TW CHURCH NOT ENGLAND) will retrieve all records which have "church", but which do not have "England", in the title. Thus, all items which have "Church of England" in the title will not be retrieved.

Parentheses can be used within a search request. They require the system to process the values and logical operators within the parentheses first, and then to relate them to the values and logical operators outside of them. FIN TP SERMON# AND (IPL BRISTOL OR TW BRISTOL) will retrieve records which have fields beginning with the word "sermon" or "sermons" and which were printed in Bristol or which have "Bristol" in the title.

ALSO/ALSO NOT

The ALSO/ALSO NOT command allows you to refine a search by using information in unindexed fields. It also allows you to refine searches using stop-words, and to perform other otherwise impossible searches. It only works when a search request retrieves 5,000 or fewer records. This command takes the form ALSO <qualifier> <value> or ALSO NOT <qualifier> <value>.

Qualifiers include:

Library symbol
D or PD	(date of publication)
LG	(language code)
CP	(country of publication code)
NOTE	(text from any note field)
100, 300, etc.	(MARC field tag - retrieves data from corresponding field)
1xx, 5xx, etc.	(MARC field group tag - retrieves data from a group of fields. Note: ALS cannot be used for field group tag 2xx, but it can be used for 240, 243, 245, 246, 250, and 260)

To learn more about field tags, consult records in the FUL or BIB displays, and refer to the Library of Congress's USMARC Format for Bibliographic Data.

The value consists of any string of consecutive characters from any point in the field specified by the qualifier. The string need not be a complete word or phrase, but it must contain every character between the beginning and the end of the string, including spaces, punctuation, diacritics, etc. It cannot contain the following words or characters: and, or, not, before, after, to, from, &, |, ~, /, ( ), < >, =. (Exception: "before", "after", "from" and "to" can be used with D/PD).

The ability to combine data from indexed and unindexed fields makes it possible to utilize the ESTC in interesting ways. A searcher, for example, might want to see a portrait of Oliver Cromwell. Since the search request FIN SW CROMWELL retrieves fewer than 5,000 records, ALS 300 PORT. is allowable. This restricts the previous result to those records which contain the string "port." (for portrait) in the 300 (Physical Description) field. The ensuing result can be further limited by, e.g., ALS 533 MICROFILM, which reduces the number of records to those with a note (in the 533 field) indicating that the item has been microfilmed.

ALS/ALS NOT only searches the records held in the current Multiple (MUL) display (see below). Thus it can utilize stop-words, such as the imprint place London, and it can search broad spans of dates, such as ALS D BEFORE 1750, which would otherwise be beyond RLIN's ability to process.

For an online explanation of ALSO, type EXPLAIN ALSO.

Displays

ESTC records are divided into two segments, one for bibliographic information, and the other for the list of libraries reporting copies. This second segment was formerly known as the Holdings (HOL) segment; it is now the ESTC Holdings (EHO) segment. Records may be displayed in any of five ways:

Multiple (MUL). This provides a brief version of the record when a search retrieves more than one record. For search results of 2-7 records, the MUL display is automatic. In search results of 8 or more records the system indicates how many records have been found and prompts MUL? Thisdisplay is generally, but not strictly, ordered according to the date the record was added to the ESTC, with the most recent records appearing first. A typical MUL display:

ESTC/PROD EnglishSTC MUL Catalog ENWP-JBR
FIN PN MILTON AND NGW EX DONO AUTHORIS - 3 records in EST

1) Milton, John, 1608-1674. AREOPAGITICA; A SPEECH OF MR. JOHN MILTON FOR THE LIBERTY OF VNLICENS'D PRINTING, TO THE PARLAMENT OF ENGLAND. (London : [ s.n.], Printed in the yeare, 1644.) (c-9125 DCF: R210022 // 2 locations)

2) Milton, John, 1608-1674. OF REFORMATION TOUCHING CHURCH-DISCIPLINE IN ENGLAND: AND THE CAUSES THAT HITHERTO HAVE HINDRED IT. ([London] : Printed, for Thomas Underhill, 1641.) (c-9125 DCF: R17896 // 1 location)

3) Milton, John, 1608-1674. THE REASON OF CHURCH-GOVERNMENT URG'D AGAINST PRELATY BY MR. JOHN MILTON. IN TWO BOOKS. (London : printed by E.G. for Iohn Rothwell, and are to be sold at the Sunne in Pauls Church-yard, 1641. [i.e. 1642]) (c-9125 DCF: R3223 // 4 locations)

Collections (COL). This replaces the ESTC's old LONG display. The bibliographic segment of the record, including notes and tracings, is displayed; so is the appended list of libraries reporting copies. Record 1, above, in COL:

EST/PROD EnglishSTC COL R210022 Catalog ENWP-JBR
FIN PN MILTON AND NGW EX DONO AUTHORIS - Record 1 of 3
+
Milton, John, 1608-1674.
Areopagitica; a speech of Mr. John Milton for the liberty of vnlicens'd printing, to the Parlament of England. London : [s.n.], Printed in the yeare, 1644.
[2], 40, [2], p. ; 40.

The final leaf is blank.
Annotation on Thomason copy: "Ex dono Authoris"; "Nouemb. 24:"; on p.12: wayfaring is corrected to "warfaring"; Lord is corrected to "Lords" (these corrections may be in Milton's hand; cf. Bernard Quaritch catalogue 1165, no. 144, where Parker, W.R. Milton: a biography, p.890 is cited).
References: Wing (2nd ed.), M2092.
Thomason E.18[9].
Pforzheimer 707.
Shawcross, J. Milton, 61.
Microfilm. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms International, 1977. 1 microfilm reel; 35 mm (Thomason Tracts; 4:E18[9]).
L.

1. Freedom of the press--Early works to 1800.

035: (Cu-RivES)S109916
ID: R210022 CC: 9125 DCF:
---------------------------------------------------------------

PRIMARY LOCATION
British Isles L Thomason E.18[9]
Note: -f.l.

ADDITIONAL LOCATIONS
North America TxU Pforz 707

Partial (PAR). The bibliographic segment of the record, excluding notes and tracings, is displayed; so is the appended list of libraries reporting copies. In this display, the libraries appear in spelled-out form. The same record as above in PAR:

EST/PROD EnglishSTC PAR R210022 Catalog ENWP-JBR
FIN PN MILTON AND NGW EX DONO AUTHORIS - Record 1 of 3
+B
Milton, John, 1608-1674.
Areopagitica; a speech of Mr. John Milton for the liberty of vnlicens'd printing, to the Parlament of England. London ; [s.n.], Printed in the yeare, 1644.
[2], 40, [2] p. ; 40.

035: (Cu-RivES)S109916
ID: R210022 CC: 9125 DCF:
------------------------------------------------------------
HID: 1
LOCATION: British Library
CALL NO.: Thomason E.18[9]

HID: 2
LOCATION: University of Texas Austin
CALL NO.: Pforz 707

Long (LON). This is not to be confused with the ESTC's old Long (LON) display. The bibliographic segment of the record, including notes and tracings, is displayed; the appended list of libraries reporting copies is not. See COL, above, to the dotted line.

Full (FUL) or Bibliographic (BIB). This displays the entire MARC record, followed by the EHO segment. The record above, in FUL (or BIB):

EST/PROD EnglishSTC FUL/BIB R210022 Catalog ENWP-JBR
FIN PN MILTON AND NGW EX DONO AUTHORIS - Record 1 of 3
+
ID:R210022 RTYP:c ST:p FRN: MS:n EL: AD:07-07-94
CC:9125 BLT:am DCF: CSC:d MOD: GNR:z PSI:n UD:01-31-96
CP:enk L:eng INT: GPC: BIO:? FIC:? ON:
PC:s PD:1644/ REP: CPI:0 FSI:0 ILC:???? II:?
MMD: OR: POL: DM: RR: COL: EML: GEN: BSE:
035 (Cu-RivES)S109916
040 Cu-RivES$cCu-RivES$dCstRLIN$edcrb
100 1 Milton, John,$d1608-1674.
245 00 Areopagitica; a speech of Mr. John Milton for the liberty of vnlicens'd printing, to the Parlament of England.
260 London :$b[s.n.],$cPrinted in the yeare, 1644.
300 [2], 40, [2] p. ;$c40.
500 The final leaf is blank.
500 Annotation on Thomason copy: "Ex dono Authoris"; "Nouemb: 24:"; on p.12: wayfaring is corrected to "warfaring"; Lord is corrected to "Lords" (these emendations may be in Milton's hand; cf. Bernard Quaritch catalogue 1165, no. 144, where Parker, W.R. Milton: a biography, p.890 is cited).
510 4 Wing (2nd ed.),$cM2092.
510 Thomason E.18[9].
510 4 Pforzheimer,$c707.
510 4 Shawcross, J. Milton,$c61.
533 Microfilm.$b Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms International,$d1977. 1 microfilm reel; 35 mm (Thomason Tracts; 4:E18[9]).
539 L.
650 0 Freedom of the press$xEarly works to 1800.
EST/PROD EnglishSTC FUL/EHO R210022 Catalog ENWP-JBR
FIN PN MILTON AND NGW EX DONO AUTHORIS - Record 1 of 3
+B
RINS
REG B PRI Y VER Y SEQ 1 OID GG CIN LDEL TDC 07/07/9 LIB L
SMK Thomason E.18[9]
CPN -f.l.

REG N PRI N VER Y SEQ 1 OID GG CIN JBR LDEL TDC 07/07/94
LIB TxU
SMK Pforz 707
CPN

Each RLIN account defaults to a particular display, COL, PAR, FUL (BIB) or LON. Once a record is retrieved, if a display other than the default is preferred, type the command, e.g., COL, PAR, etc. To change the display for an entire session, type, e.g., SET DISPLAY FUL, SET DIS LON, etc. Contact the RLIN Information Center to set a new default display.

Moving around

Within a MUL display:

To move from record to record, in MUL display order, use the +B and -B commands. +B retrieves the next record, -B retrieves the previous one.

To look at any particular record, type DISPLAY and the number of the record in the MUL display (not the ID number), e.g. DIS 3, or the name of the desired display and the MUL number, e.g., FUL 3, COL, 3, PAR 3, etc.

Use + to scroll forward through a MUL display. Use - to scroll backwards. Use the command MUL <value>, e.g., MUL 50, to scroll through a MUL display beginning with any particular record (in this case the 50th).

Within a record or help screen:

When a record or help screen fills more than one screen, move forward or backward with the + and - commands.

Online help

RLIN offers several online help screens which contain useful information and suggestions for searching the ESTC: SHOW FILE EST, SHOW INDEXES EST, EXPLAIN ALSO.

APPENDIX (Tables of Changes in Functionality)

In 1995 the ESTC was rebuilt. One index had its name changed, as did one display; indexes, displays and other features were added. Here are tables detailing these changes.

ESTC welcomes enquiries from scholars, librarians and others wishing to use the file. Please write or call:

Assistant Director

English Short Title Catalogue

Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research

Rivera Library 016

University of California

Riverside, CA 92521-0154

Phone: 909-787-5841

Fax: 909-787-4120

E-mail: JohnBR@ucrac1.ucr.edu

or

Managing Editor

English Short Title Catalogue

British Library

Great Russell Street

London WC1B 3DG

England, United Kingdom

Phone: +(44) 171-412-7608

For more information about RLIN, contact the RLIN Information Center at:

Phone: 800-537-RLIN

E-mail: bl.ric@RLG.org