Library Trustees Association of New York State

Policy Database: Simplify Your Search Experience

Five tips to help you find what you are looking for more efficiently.

1. Keyword Search

   The keyword search is a powerful tool which will help you quickly sort through the thousands of policies within the LTA Policy Database. However, it is best thought of as a "phrase" search.

   This search feature will retrieve all policies which contain the words you typed, but only as they were written. It will not search for individual keyword terms as if you typed a list.

   What the keyword search can do:

   • Find policies which contain the keywords in the exact order and spelling in which they were typed.
     
     Examples:

     • A search for the words, "copyright policy," will retrieve all policies which contain the phrase: "copyright policy." If you are looking for every policy which deals with copyright issues, it would be more effective to only type the word: "copyright."
     • A search for the words, "borrowing or lending," will only retrieve policies which contain the phrase: "borrowing or lending".
   • Find policies which contain any portion of the word which you typed in.
     
     Example:
     • A search for the term, "borrow," will retrieve policies which contain the words: "borrow," "borrows," "borrower," "borrowing," or the phrase: "borrowing or lending."

2. Advanced Search

   The database is designed to retrieve as many policies as possible, so by default, the advanced search will give you results for policies which match every option within the advanced search. That, of course, can be overwhelming at times.

   To refine your results, you can use a keyword search in combination with a search by: "policy category," "library type," "population," "budget," or "library system." Or, you can skip the keyword search entirely and just search by any combination of those search options.

3. Search "Similar Libraries"

   This feature is designed to give you a quick snapshot of policies from libraries which:

   • serve a similar population range
   • have a comparable annual budget.

4. Policy Category

   Within the advanced search, there is an option to search by policy category. These categories were chosen to match the internal and external policy categories which are most consistently used by libraries, as outlined in pp. 24-25 of the 2010 Edition of the Handbook for Library Trustees of New York State.

   This feature may be particularly useful if you are trying to narrow down a keyword search or if you are looking for the types of policies which you believe your library should have, but does not.

5. Quick Word Search

   As you look through a policy, if you find yourself struggling to find your keywords, there is a way to make it easier:

   On a Windows computer, press "Ctrl" and then "F" at the same time. On a Mac computer, press "Command" and then "F" at the same time.

   Once you do that, a search box will pop up which will allow you to type in any word/phrase. After pressing enter, the word(s) which you typed in will be highlighted, and then you will have an option to look for the next match or a previous match.

   Alternatively, if you are using Internet Explorer or Firefox: on the menu bar, you can select, "edit" and then "find".

If you ever have a question about how to use the Policy Database, or are struggling to find a match, please contact: Tim Gavin.