When searching for primary sources, names are often a useful point of entry in locating item records. Here are a few tips about using them as search tools.
- If the name you're searching for returns no hits, consider searching using initials, with or without middle names, with or without suffixes.
- If an historical person, place, or thing is more commonly known by a certain name than a legal/given name, search both.
- Mistakes happen, both on the part of searchers and on the part of people who assemble online source collections. Double-check your spelling, and take a moment to look at subject headings/index terms to see if there are idiosyncracies.
- Non-English sources may involve various diacritics (accent grave, etc.) or different transliterations.
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