Cross-reference

In the earlier lessons, you may have found it inconvenient to discover promising new search terms in a record and then have to go back to the initial screen and start the process over again with the new term.

In fact, any term in any record in the ATLA database can be used to generate another search, instantly. ATLA calls this the Cross-reference function, but it's really just a way to copy a term and paste it into a new place without using a computer mouse. The explanation sounds a bit complicated, but it is really quite easy, and it will speed your subsequent searches significantly.

Use any record open in Full Display mode. Hold down the Alt key and hit the letter C on your keyboard. You will see that one of the fields (Year) is now highlighted. Using the Arrow keys, move through the record until the word HAGIOGRAPHY is highlighted. You've decided to look at all of the records in the database containing that subject heading. Now, hit Enter.

This dialog box will allow you to "paste" your highlighted term into the correct field. Use the down Arrow to move to the Search Field line. Hit the Spacebar to open a pull-down menu.

Use the Arrow keys to choose the field you want (here, Subject Heading). Then, hit Enter to confirm your choice. Hit Enter again to perform the new search.

You will retrieve all of the records in the ATLA database using the word HAGIOGRAPHY as a Subject Heading. This "copy and paste" technique will work with any term in any of the search fields. Experiment with it a bit until you feel comfortable with the technique.

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