Search Options

www.bmarchives.org offers various search options.



Always select "Search in Catalogue" first.




Possible search options

 

Full-text and key word search

Use the input field at the top left of the website and enter your key words or a full-text

Restrict the hits to one or more source types (Maps, Text or Images)

Select "Type"

Restrict the hits to a specific branch

Select "Archive plan"

Restrict the hits to a specific period

Select "Timeline"

Search for Experts

Select "Advanced Search"



Full Text and Keyword Search


Select "Search in Catalogue".




Fulltext search

Enter your search terms in the input field at the left. If two or more terms are

entered, the terms are linked with "AND" (analogous to Google).



Keyword search

Enter a key word in the input field at the left. There will appear a list containing keywords and categories. It is important for you to wait until this list is generated. Now you can select one of these keywords that patches your interest.


Important: For the search to work, at least 4 characters must be entered.



Display of the Search Results

After your search, a page will open showing all the hits. The number of hits is displayed at the bottom left. 20 hits are shown on each page. At the bottom right you can go to the next or select any page of the hit list.



The results can be presented in following three ways (Top right of the screen):

Results in tiles

» best suited for quick overview of images

Tiles with key figures

» to get basic information about an image or map

Key figures in table format

best suited for viewing documents. The system sorts the results by reference.



How to Limit Search Results

The search may result in a huge amount of hits. In such a case it is possible to further limit the hit list.



Limit to a Type of Source

Activate or deactivate the types of sources you are looking for by clicking in the field: maps, text or images.



Limit in the Archive Plan

You can limit the search to a part of the archive plan. To do so, click through the archive tree until you reach the desired location.



Limit to a Time Period

You can limit the list of hits so that only results from a defined period of time will be shown. To do so you adjust the timeline with the cursor as shown below.



Important: Currently, the search for a certain period of time works unreliably and only for directory units assigned to a year. We are working on loving the problem and hope to fix it as soon as possible.



Combination of Criteria

You can combine and modify the criteria as you wish: Display of hits according to a text or key word, type of source, time period and part of the archive plan.

The title of the hits at the top of the page always shows what the search refers to.

You can remove or change a criterion at any time.



Please note: To reset a selection, go to the search criterion listed under “type” and click the "X" in the white field.



Archive Catalogue Search: Navigation through the Structure of the Archive

Another option to search the archive is through Archive Plan:



General Search in Archive Plan

The search in “Archive Plan” allows you to navigate in the structure of the archive, from the superior stock to the individual document or keyword.

Use the archive plan search to get an overview of the various catalogs, or to target well-known documents or slogans!

To get to the structure of the main stocks click the following path:

[Archives catalogue] => Guides/Finding aids =>

  • Archives: main stock of written documents of the Basel Mission Society, sorted by regions
  • Betriebsdokumentation: publications in European and Overseas languages (without magazines)
  • Basler Handelsgesellschaft: Basel Mission Trading Company and UTC
  • Basler Mission Deutscher Zweig: Basel Mission German Branch
  • KEM: Cooperation of Evangelical Missions and Churches



Archive Plan Search by Keywords

Archive Plan Search is possible by the following keywords / thematic groups:

[Geography]

» Order by geographical keywords

[Individuals]

» Order by persons

[Institutions]

» Order by institutions

[Photographer / Photo studios

» Order by photographers

[Series type]

» Order according to the series types in the photographs

[Themes]

» Thematic order of the archive