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An independent guide to finding information, documents and belongings. It does not search for people, does not collect or sell personal data and has no connection to the former site on this domain.

Reference

Reference

This section explains words you come across when you build a search, sort out your papers, or visit a library or archive. The definitions are short and need no special background. We do not tie them to particular programs or institutions: the meaning stays the same even if the room has a different name at your library or the search is hidden in a different menu on your phone.

Librarians and archivists are used to questions from beginners. Saying “I don’t know where to start” is a perfectly normal way to begin the conversation, not something to be embarrassed about.

— Editor’s note

Search

Keyword
A word that the text or document you need cannot do without. Usually it names an object, an action or a phenomenon. Two or three keywords work better than an entire long question.
Synonym
Another name for the same thing: everyday, professional or old-fashioned. If searching with the familiar word finds nothing, try a synonym — people who write documents often use different words from the ones we use at home.
Exact phrase
A search for words in a fixed order, with no reordering or substitutions. Useful for quotations, titles and set expressions. How to turn it on is explained in the help pages of the tool you are using.
Excluding and narrowing
Two ways to cut down the results. Excluding removes everything that contains an unwanted word. Narrowing adds a detail: time, place, type of document. Use them one at a time so you can see what has changed.

Storage

One fixed place
A permanent home for one type of document — a drawer, folder, box or directory on your computer. The rule is simple: anything new goes straight there, not onto the nearest free surface.
Inventory
A list of what is in a drawer or folder: the name of each document, what it relates to and where it is. You can keep it on a sheet of paper or in a spreadsheet. It lets you find a paper without going through everything.
File naming
An agreement with yourself about how to name files: what the document is, what it relates to, when it appeared. Using the same word order in every name lets you find files by searching and sorting.
Backup copy
A second copy of important files kept separately from the original: on an external drive or in cloud storage. If your computer or phone breaks down, your document scans will not be lost with it.

Libraries and archives

Online catalogue
A database of records for everything a library holds: books, magazines, newspapers and sometimes individual articles. You can search it by author, title, subject and year, and each record shows the call number and where the item is kept.
Interlibrary loan
A service through which a library orders a book or a copy from another library’s collection for a reader. Conditions, waiting times and any fees depend on the libraries involved; ask about them on site.
Reference service
Help from a reference librarian in finding literature and information on your subject: suggesting where to look, compiling a reading list, showing you how to use the catalogue. This is usually the best place to start with an unfamiliar subject.
Archive request
A written request to an archive for information or a copy of a document. It states what you need, what period and place it relates to, what you already know and why you need the answer. The archive itself sets the procedure and deadlines.

Pages on the topics in this section

  • Practical

    How to find the manual for an old appliance, plus the catalogue of upcoming articles.

  • Questions

    Short answers on how to search, where to keep documents and what to do when you lose something.

  • Collections

    Reading routes: a home archive in a weekend, the first half hour after a loss, a library visit.

  • Topics

    A map of topics: questions and search words, home papers and files, libraries and archives, lost items.

  • Questions

    Short answers on how to search, where to keep documents and what to do when you lose something.

  • Collections

    Reading routes: a home archive in a weekend, the first half hour after a loss, a library visit.

  • New

    A dated feed of new pages in the guide.

Sources

  • Poisk365 guide materials
  • Public library rules of use — general provisions
  • Household appliance operating manuals — general sections

Information is current as of the date it was prepared. Every library, archive, lost-and-found office and service centre sets its own procedures, so check them in person or on the organisation’s official website. Phone and computer menus may also look different after updates.