Common Command Language (CCL) Searching

Expert Searching allows for customized searching of the catalog.  In Expert Searching, the three-digit field codes of Common Command Language (CCL) are combined with ordinary words, numbers, or controlled codes to search specific fields in the catalog records.  Many CCL codes are based on keyword functionality. Although some CCL codes will initiate a “browse” of the catalog, the results will differ from those obtained using the regular browse functions on the Basic Search screen.  BROWSE CCL codes appear at the end of this section, after the KEYWORD CCL codes.

• Unless coded for another field in the record or included in parentheses, the catalog assumes a search term is coded "WRD" i.e., a word anywhere in the record.

  e.g., "woman or female" and "wrd=woman or wrd=female" and "wrd=woman or female" are identical searches, retrieving records in which either "woman" or "female" appear

• Unless otherwise specified, all words in a chain are searched as the same three-letter code.

e.g., "wti=women and sports" and "wti=women and wti=sports" are identical searches, retrieving records in which both "women" and "sports" appear in the title

• To combine CCL and regular keyword functions used in both basic and advanced searching, use the appropriate Boolean operator (i.e., "and" "or" "not"), as well as parentheses, if needed, to connect the search terms.

e. g., "Shakespeare not wln=eng" retrieves records for non-English language items in which "Shakespeare" appears as a word

e.g., "(woman or female) and detective?" retrieves records in which either the words "woman" or "female" appear in the same record as the word "detective" or "detectives"

KEYWORD -- Common Command Language (CCL) codes for use with ordinary words and numbers

WRD= to search for a word anywhere in record
WSU= to search for a word anywhere in subject headings
WTI= to search for a word anywhere in title(s)
WAU= to search for a word anywhere in author(s)
WNO= to search a word anywhere in notes fields
WYR= to search by year of publication
WIM= to search a word in the imprint, i.e., publisher or place of publication
WUR= to search a word anywhere in URL
WTH= to search institutional sources of selected theses and dissertations

To search Iowa theses, use “wth=Iowa”

KEYWORD -- Common Command Language (CCL) codes for use with controlled codes or terms

WCL=  to search by Sub-Library, i.e., library location

art  Art Library
biol  Sciences Library
bus  Marvin A. Pomerantz Business Library
cdce Career Center, 24 Phillips Hall
elec Electronic Resource
engn  Engineering Library
geol  Geoscience Collection
hsl  Hardin Library for the Health Sciences
law  Law Library
math  Main/Math Collection
mus  Rita Benton Music Library
phys  Physics Collection
psyc  Psychology Collection
main  Main Library
mcps Main/Central Technical Services
gov  Main/Government Publications
minar Main/Media Collection
womn Main/Iowa Women's Archives
map  Main/Map Collection
mmsrv Main/Media Collection
mref  Main/Reference and Information Services
mainr Main/Reserve
spec  Main/Special Collections
mains Main/Storage

WFM= To search by format as follows:

bk  books
cf  computer file
mp  maps
mu  music
se  serials
vm  visual materials
mx  mixed materials

WPD= to search for the following physical forms of material

v?  video
vd  video disk
vf  video cassette
cr  online

WLN= to search by language of material

Some common language codes:
ara= Arabic
chi= Chinese
cze= Czech
dan= Danish
dut= Dutch
eng= English
fre= French
ger= German
gre= Greek
heb= Hebrew
ita= Italian
jpn= Japanese
kor= Korean
lat= Latin
mul= Multilingual
nor= Norwegian
pol= Polish
por= Portuguese
rus= Russian
san= Sanskrit
spa= Spanish
swe= Swedish

For complete list of language codes available, see Library of Congress site at http://lcweb.loc.gov/marc/languages/

WGV= to search for types of government publications, use the following

f  federal/national
i  international
m  multi-state
s  state, provincial, territorial, etc.

To search for all government publications at one time, use the “government document” limit on the Advanced Search screen

WTS= To search by type of serial

n    newspapers
m   monographic series
p   periodicals

• BROWSE -- Common Command Language (CCL) codes for use with ordinary words and numbers.

  TTL= to browse Titles (omit beginning articles in any language, e.g., a, an, the)

  AUT= to browse Authors, using last name first

  S0S= to browse Series Title plus Number (enter only as much of the series title as you are sure of)

  SUL= to browse Library of Congress Subject Headings and local headings

  SUM= to browse Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

  LCT= to browse Library of Congress (LC) Call Numbers

  DCT= to browse Dewey Call Numbers

  SCT= to browse SuDOC Call Numbers

  OCT= to browse Other Call Numbers

  PER= to browse Personal Authors using last name first

  COR= to browse Corporate Authors

  MET= to browse Meeting Names

  TUT= to browse Uniform Titles, i.e., all variations on a title