This search is an alphabetical search. Alphabetical searches work like the phone book. If you know only the first letter of a person’s last name, you have to flip to that section and start looking. Knowing a few more letters allows you to narrow your search. When you perform an alphabetical search, the system moves through the alphabet until it reaches your first letter. Within that letter, it continues to search until it has reached all of the letters in your search term. For instance, if you select the Object Name search and type in "PAINTING," the system will move first to the P and then to PA and then to PAI and so forth. If there is no exact match, the system will bring back the closest records it can find. The type of information that the system alphabetizes depends on the search you choose. 

The Natural History Subject Alphabetical Search will check your text against a list of subject headings the Museum has applied to its objects. We are currently standardizing these subject headings. Until we are finished, you may find abbreviations, inconsistencies or duplicates which may make searching more difficult than usual. You may wish to try either shortening your search terms or use other like terms.

• Because this is an alphabetical search, the system will start the search with the first letter you've entered. For instance, if you enter "Ground Skink," it will start with "G" and then continue with "R" and "O" and so forth.
• We are currently in the process of making our headings more useful. A previous system required museum staff to abbreviate, resulting in many hard-to-decipher headings. We are working as quickly as possible. Please bear with us.