The NIVAL website has been designed to improve public access to information on the library collections.  Standards of best practice have been employed in the cataloguing and digitisation of materials and in the development of finding aids to maximise search results while keeping the site easy to use. 

Global Search

To search the whole of the NIVAL site, enter a keyword(s) into the global search box on the upper left corner of any page of the website.  This will search across all databases and collection finding aids and present a list of linked results which will direct you to specific collections or items relevant to your search term(s).

Advanced Search

To limit your search query to one of more collections, select the Advanced Search option from any page of the website.  This will allow for the selection of particular collections, the designation of a specific date range, or a search for items by library reference codes. 

Collection Search

To search for information on one of the NIVAL collections, select a collection window from the bottom of the HOMEPAGE.  Alternatively, go directly to the COLLECTIONS page from the top navigation on any of the pages.   Once on the COLLECTIONS page, the left hand navigation allows for the selection of Special Collections or individual databases.  Proceed to the relevant collection and enter search terms into the filter box on the left hand side of the page.