Exploring the Collections

The Search Filters allow you to explore the range of objects the RRN contains in an easy, visual way. The filters are grouped into the question that they answer, one of What, Who, Where and When. This means that you’ll find the Type of Item filter under the What tab (What type of item it is?), while the Maker filter is under the Who tab (Who made it?).

One of the great things about things about the Search Filters is that they update dynamically as you search to only include searches that will still return at least one item. This means you can get a lot of interesting information just by looking at the Search Filters while performing a search. For example, if you are searching for masks and look in the Culture filter, you will only see cultures that make masks. Do you want to know what types of items Bill Reid made or what materials he most often used? You can get all that information extremely easily using the Search Filters.

Try it

Search for Kwakwaka’wakw Cedar Masks.

  1. Navigate to the Items page and click on the Search tab.
  2. Click on the What tab.
  3. Click on the Type of Item search filter. The Tag cloud will open, showing larger words for item types with more associated items.
  4. Click M for Mask, then click Mask.
  5. Click on the Made of search filter.
  6. Click on Wood.
  7. Narrow your search even further by clicking on Cedar Wood.

Now, you can finish the search to find all Kwakwaka’wakw cedar masks.

  1. Click on the Who tab.
  2. Click on Culture search filter, and click Kwakwaka’wakw.
  3. Click on the Results tab at the top of the page to view your results.
  4. You can move through the pages of results using the arrow keys on your keyboard or by clicking on the Next button at the bottom of the page.

Next: Using the Quick Search