Punctuation

When marks of punctuation are included in a search expression, the digital library either replaces the punctuation marks with spaces, or searches variations of the search expression containing the punctuation, or ignores the punctuation marks. To search a punctuation mark as a literal character, enclose the expression in quotation marks.

The digital library searches periods (.) based on how this punctuation mark displays in the search expression. If the period does not mark the end of a sentence or if the period is not used as a decimal mark within a numeral, the period is replaced with spaces. If the period is used as a decimal mark, it is not replaced with a space. For example, the title Vacationland U.S.A. will be searched as VACATIONLAND U S A.

The digital library also replaces commas (,) within a search expression with a space. For example, the title Goodbye, Columbus, and Five Short Stories will be searched as GOODBYE COLUMBUS FIVE SHORT STORIES.

Search expressions containing hyphens (-) are searched with the hyphen included. A search without the hyphen displays words both with and without the hyphen. For example, the title Camp-fire Girls will be searched as CAMP-FIRE GIRLS. Only titles that include a hyphen between Camp and Fire will display. To broaden the search to include the phrase "Camp Fire" with and without the hyphen, use CAMP FIRE GIRLS.

The digital library ignores the circumflex (^) in search expressions.

The following table contains additional special characters. These characters do not affect searching. Some of these characters are replaced by a space; some are ignored.

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