SearchMAGIC

This is an 'in-house' retrieval system used by the Music and Multimedia Collection to catalogue the sound material held in the music sound archive. The database covers ethnomusicology and popular recordings. The following explains how to retrieve the material you require from the LPs, cassettes and compact discs in the archive. (Note: this database does not contain the collection of Western Art Music which is accessed through the library catalogue and a supplementary card catalogue).

Getting started

• Select SearchMAGIC from the opening menu.
• Select SOUND ARCHIVE from the following menu. The message "loading search prompts" should appear.

Search basics

Information is accessed according to a number of fields which are also known as search prompts. The search prompts are as follows:

• Select the appropriate search prompt by moving the cursor with the arrow keys.
• Enter the details you wish to search for and then press [ENTER] eg PERFORMER: Louis Armstrong [ENTER]
  OR
  SOUND COMPONENT: Bansuri [ENTER]
• Searches can be limited by entering information at more than one search prompt. For example, if you wanted to access a drum from Japan:
  LOCATION: Japan
  SOUND COMPONENT: Drum [ENTER]
• If any records match your search, the word DISPLAY will appear at the bottom left hand corner of the screen and the number of matching records will be listed in the top right hand corner.
• If SearchMAGIC does not find any records matching your search, the message "No records matching this search" will appear in the top right hand corner of the screen. You can then either try another search or use the browse option outlined below.

Displaying records

• Once a search has been completed and the word DISPLAY appears on the bottom left hand corner of the screen, press [ENTER] to display the records. Records are initially displayed in "short format display".
• To see all information contained in the record press [+]. The record will now be in "long format display".
• Lists of records can be scrolled though using the arrow keys or the [PgUp] and [PgDn] keys.

Browsing

• The browsing option allows you to see an alphabetised list of all the entries in a given field. To browse, simply move the cursor to the field you wish to browse eg SUBJECT and press [F4]. A list of entries will now appear.
• To move through the list, use the arrow keys or the [PgUp] and [PgDn] keys. You can also use letter keys to move directly to entries beginning with that letter eg [J] to go directly to "jazz".
• (Note: do not key in more than the first letter of the term you are browsing for as this will send SearchMAGIC to the entries beginning with the other letters you type).
• Once you have highlighted the term (word/s) you wish to search on with the cursor bar, press [ENTER]. SearchMAGIC will automatically enter the term into the field you are browsing and conduct a search.
• If any records are found that match your search, they can be displayed in the same manner explained above.
• (Note: you must wait until the computer has finished sorting a search before the records can be expanded or browsed).

Search hints

• Help screens can be activated at any time by pressing [F1]
• To start a new search, move the cursor to the NEW SEARCH option on the bottom of the screen and press [ENTER]. This will delete the current search and give you a new set of search prompts.
• To add more information to a search you have just conducted, select CONTINUE SEARCH from the menu at the bottom of the screen. This returns you to the search prompts with the previous search terms still intact and is a good way to limit a search that has returned too many results.
• When searching under subject it is a good idea to consult the List of Subjects Contained in the Database of Ethnomusicology and Popular Recordings booklet located near the SearchMAGIC computer or alternatively use the browse option. This ensures that the term you enter into the database is the same term that is used by the database to describe the various concepts.

Quitting SearchMAGIC

You can quit any time by pressing [Esc].

Retrieving material

To listen to recordings contained in the database, carefully copy down the number contained in the record and present it at the Music and Multimedia Collection service desk.

see Search for sound recordings for an explanation of format prefixes.

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