Help. Using queries and filters
Unlike web pages, in which information is normally presented as a narrative, the IBCC Digital Archive publishes items in a structured way. Information is displayed by using fields, which are consistently populated. This allows sophisticated retrieval options via the advanced search page.
Scroll to the first 'Narrow by specific fields' box. In the drop-down menu next to 'select below' you will see possible options to filter hits. Each of these is a search option and you can choose just one, or select two or more in combination by using the 'add a field' button.
Fields are defined as follows:
| Title: This narrows searches to words that occur only in the title. |
| Description: This narrows searches to words that occur only in the description field. |
| Transcription: This narrows searches to words that occur only in transcriptions of oral histories and written documents. |
| Creator: This narrows searches to the person or entity responsible for creating an item. |
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Date: This is the actual date the item was made, the date a letter was written, a photograph taken etc. All dates are recorded in the format yyyy-mm-dd. For example, 1 June 1943 should be entered as Examples:
This will filter for items made on Christmas Eve 1944.
This will filter for items made in December 1944.
This will filter for items made in 1944. |
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Language: the archive captures languages in abbreviated form, by using a three-letter code:
This will filter for items in German only. |
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Type: items can be searched for by their type, e.g. the intended use. Type can have any of the following values:
Any artistic expression to be appreciated for its aesthetic qualities. Examples: paintings, drawings, sketches, caricatures, cartoons etc.
Any representations of a portion of the Earth upon a flat surface. Examples: escape map, road map, railroad map etc.
Any representations of a portion of the Earth upon a flat surface, especially for navigation purpose. Examples: navigation map, weather map, navigation chart.
A visual work that has the appearance of movement. Examples: period film footage, oral history interviews in video form.
An image recorded by means of on a light-sensitive material regardless of the process used. Examples: transparencies, photo prints etc.
A three-dimensional object normally kept as memorabilia. Examples: tools, lucky charms, models, keepsakes, pieces of equipment etc.
Clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Examples: uniforms, footwear, headgear etc.
Any formally recognized marks of honour denoting heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. Examples: awards, decorations, medals, badges etc.
Anything primarily intended to be heard. Example: oral history interviews in audio form.
A set of instructions - published or otherwise officially issued - intended to improve the quality of a task or to teach the correct use of equipment, machinery or weaponry. Examples: workbooks, reference manuals, instructions, hand-outs, tutorials etc.
Any document primarily intended to be read.
Any kind of written communication, regardless of its medium and format. Examples: aerograms, postcards, letters, telegrams etc.
A record of events, arranged by date, reporting what happened over the course of a period and normally intended to remain private or to have a limited circulation. Entries in a diary are discrete and usually written shortly after the events. Examples: diaries, journals etc.
A record of events marked with the time of an event or action of military significance. Examples: crew logbooks, daybooks, operations record books etc.
Any kind of personal remembrances, organised as a continuous narrative, usually based on memory and written after the events recalled. Examples: memoirs, recollections etc.
A secondary source that collates, summarizes, evaluates, or discusses pieces information from other sources. The author did not usually take part in the events described. Examples: notes for personal use, drafts, speech notes etc.
A written text that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language to evoke emotive responses.
Any document issued by an official authority regarding the service life of a specific individual. Examples: enlistment, health, awards, disciplinary or discharge papers; tax forms and extract of service records etc.
A set of handwritten notes, technical drawings, schematics and procedures, prepared by an individual for their personal use. Examples: notes, hand drawings, handwritten manuals, step-by step procedures, troubleshooting guides etc.
Examples:
This will filter for photographs only.
This will filter for text of any kind, regardless of subdivisions. |
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Force: Items can be refined according the relevant military force:
Examples:
This will filter for Bomber Command only.
This will include all commands. If you need to browse all items about a specific force please see the relevant menu. |
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Spatial Coverage: This is where an event took place. Examples:
This will filter for items about Paris.
This will filter for items about Spain, including generic references to the whole country and to all places within its borders such as The Archive uses Library of Congress Subject headings for all geographical locations: they normally have the form |
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Temporal Coverage: This is when an event took place. For example, an interview recorded in 2017 may refer to events in 1945. All dates are recorded in the format Examples: Temporal Coverage | This will filter for items about events that took place exactly on 1 July 1943.
This will filter for items about events that took place in July 1943, regardless of day. Temporal Coverage | This will filter for items about events that took place in 1943. |
Combinations of keywords, narrowed by other fields and / or tags can be used. The examples below are for guidance only, the system allows for a great degree of customisation to suit particular needs.
1) Combining tags
Search for Keywords
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Narrow by Specific Fields
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Search by Tags
Halifax; fuelling
This will retrieve items tagged Halifax and fuelling.
- Tags must be separated by a semicolon.
2) Filtering tags. Type
Search for Keywords
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Narrow by Specific Fields
Type | is exactly | Photograph
Search by Tags
RAF Waddington
This will retrieve photographs tagged RAF Waddington.
3) Filtering tags. Language
Search for Keywords
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Narrow by Specific Fields
Language | is exactly | pol
Search by Tags
propaganda
This will retrieve propaganda materials in Polish.
4) Filtering tags. Spatial Coverage
Search for Keywords
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Narrow by Specific Fields
Spatial Coverage | contains | Germany
Search by Tags
lynching
This will retrieve items about instances of lynching in Germany.
5) Filtering tags. When
Search for Keywords
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Narrow by Specific Fields
Temporal Coverage | starts with | 1944-03
Search by Tags
bale out
This will retrieve items about instances of aircrew baling out in March 1944.
6) Filtering for a specific time and place. Example 1
Search for Keywords
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Narrow by Specific Fields
Spatial Coverage | contains | France
AND | Temporal Coverage| contains | 1945
Search by Tags
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This will retrieve items about France in 1945.
- The option selected (i.e.
contains) retrieves all places in France such asFrance--Paris,France--Lyon,France--Dunkerqueetc., also including generic references to the country as a whole. - The option selected (i.e.
contains) retrieves all 1945 dates, included incomplete ones such as 1945, 1945-05, 1945-05-02 etc. - The query can be further refined by including keyword(s) and/or tag(s).
7) Filtering for a specific time and place. Example 2
Search for Keywords
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Narrow by Specific Fields
Spatial Coverage | is exactly | Italy--Turin
AND | Temporal Coverage | contains | 1943-08
Search by Tags
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This will retrieve items about Turin in August 1943.
- The option selected (i.e.
is exactly) retrieves only items about Turin ignoring every other place in Italy and also generic references to the country as a whole. - The option selected (i.e.
contains) retrieves all August 1943 dates, irrespective of the day of the month. - The query can be further refined by including keyword(s) and/or tag(s)
8) ‘On this day’
Search for Keywords
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Narrow by Specific Fields
Temporal Coverage | ends with | 05-01
Search by Tags
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This will retrieve instances of items about the first day of May, irrespective of year.
- See also the timelines.
9) Filtering keyword search. Item type.
Search for Keywords
Ormerod
Narrow by Specific Fields
Type | is exactly | Sound
Search by Tags
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This will retrieve instances of a person named Ormerod in audio materials only, such as an oral history interview.
- Be aware that not all oral interviews are transcribed.
10) Filtering keyword search. Reducing ambiguity
Search for Keywords
thread
Narrow by Specific Fields
Type | is exactly | Text. Training material
Search by Tags
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This query will retrieve instances of threads as part of machinery.
- Threads intended as haberdashery are more likely to appear in other item types, such as T
ext. Correspondence.
11) Filtering keyword search. Force
Search for Keywords
Gildersleve
Narrow by Specific Fields
Force | is exactly | Royal Air Force. Balloon Command
Search by Tags
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This will retrieve documents about a person named Gildersleve, who served in Balloon Command. People with the same name attached to other commands are ignored.
12) Filtering keyword search. Transcription only
Search for Keywords
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Narrow by Specific Fields
Transcription | contains| bumf
Search by Tags
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This limits searches to a corpus of authentic, unabridged period material consisting of transcriptions of oral histories interviews and written documents.
- We strive to produce descriptive information that is accessible to everyone, avoiding slang, abbreviations, archaism, colloquialisms, and force-specific vocabulary. However, these words are scrupulously retained in transcriptions of textual and spoken material.
13) Excluding places
Search for Keywords
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Narrow by Specific Fields
Spatial Coverage | starts with | Germany
AND | Temporal Coverage | does not contain | Germany--Berlin
Search by Tags
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This query will retrieve items about all Germany, excluding Berlin.
- The query can be further refined by including keyword(s) and/or tag(s)
14) Combining places
Search for Keywords
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Narrow by Specific Fields
Spatial Coverage | starts with | Connecticut
OR | Spatial Coverage | starts with | Maine
OR | Spatial Coverage | starts with | Massachusetts
OR | Spatial Coverage | starts with | New Hampshire
OR | Spatial Coverage | starts with | Rhode Island
OR | Spatial Coverage | starts with | Vermont
Search by Tags
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This query will retrieve items about New England.
- The query can be further refined by including keyword(s) and/or tag(s)
- This strategy can also be used for regions such as the Far East, Horn of Africa, the Balkans, Middle East etc.
Top tips:
- Remember to use only tags already in the system, otherwise the query will return zero hits. See the alphabetical list of tags.
- If you haven’t found a suitable tag, then type any keyword(s) of your choice in the keyword field. Be aware that this will degrade retrieval quality. The reason is that tags: 1) are pre-selected by staff and used consistently across all collections; 2) are added only to denote substantial content and not just passing references.
- If you need to browse for a specific item type (diaries, logbooks, maps etc.), see the FAQ page, question 12.
- Royal Air Force establishments are captured as tags, not places. They can also be accessed through the relevant menu.
- Wide areas are normally not captured. This includes hemispheres, continents, regions (
Far East, Horn of Africa, the Balkans, Middle Eastetc.) and fronts (the Eastern Frontetc.). The FAQ page, questions 15 and 16, provides some workarounds. - The full date of some items has not always been captured in the first place. For instance, a letter may be dated
June 1945or a photograph captioned1940. Search for partial dates to retrieve these items. - Items about a specific time frame are described by a broadened date. For instance, a document about events from 10 March 1943 to 28 March 1943 has date
1943-03; spring-summer 1943 is captured as1943; the period 1943-1946 is recorded by using four date iterations:1943; 1944; 1945; and1946. - Remember that not all Archive items can be dated or located. The FAQ page, question 17, provides advice on how to discover more relevant documents.