This web site provides two different search forms for your use:The first is a simple "Search Term(s)" form on the main page. It consists of a single text box into which you type your search terms, and a search button for submitting the search. (Note: Options for browsing the site, including a list of subject headings, are located farther down on the main page.)
The second, or "Customized Search" form, is on a separate page, accessed by clicking on the "Customized Search" text link on the main page. This form includes the same "Search Term(s)" text box that you see on the main page. The difference is that this form allows you to refine your search using separate search boxes to specify one or more subject headings, counties, major cities impacted, etc. in addition to your own search terms.
The search forms enable you to search the full text of all of the program entries in the Community Assistance Directory. These entries include program titles and effective dates, counties and major cities impacted, subject areas covered, UM sponsoring department, and contact information for each program.
You may search using as many terms as you like. If you use more than one search term within a given text box (such as the "Search Term(s):" text box), you may want to take advantage of the Boolean operators (AND, OR), and parentheses to combine terms. Here is how these work:Boolean Operators
(apple AND grape) will return all pages with BOTH words.
(apple OR grape) will return all pages with EITHER word.Parentheses
((apple OR grape) AND juice) will return all pages with BOTH apple and juice AND all pages with BOTH grape and juice.What happens if you don't use AND or OR between search terms?You are not required to use the Boolean operators and parentheses when using more than one search term. If you decide to skip the Boolean operators, the default for this database is that your terms will automatically be OR'd together. For example, typing "apple grape juice" into the search box on the main page is the same thing as typing "(apple OR grape OR juice)" into that box and would return all pages containing at least one of these terms.
Important note about the Customized Search form
You know from above that by default, this database OR's together multiple search terms within a given search field or text box. When you use more than one of the search fields or text boxes on the Customized Search form, by default, the database will use the Boolean "AND" between these fields.
For example, if you submitted a search with "elderly" in the "Search Term(s):" text box and "Grand Rapids" selected from the list of "Major City (or Cities):", your search would return all directory entries for Grand Rapids that also have the word "elderly" somewhere in the directory entry (probably in the program title or description).
The first thing you will see after submitting your search request is a "Search Results List" page. It will list the titles for every program in the directory which meet your search criteria. From this results list, you may go directly to the full directory entry page for a given program by clicking on its title in the list.
There are no hard-and-fast rules for deciding when to use each of the forms, but these guidelines may help you:If you are a first-time or infrequent user of the Community Assistance Directory, try the simple "Search Term(s):" form on the main page first. It is more than adequate for most searches, and is quite flexible and powerful if you learn to combine your search terms using the Boolean operators and parentheses.
In general, we think that the "Customized Search" form will probably be more useful for people who use this directory often than it will for first-time or infrequent users. It is really geared to meet the needs of people who already have a pretty good sense of what's in the directory and want to make a fairly focused search.
Please do try out both forms. If you become a frequent user of this directory, you will likely use the simple form for some searches and the Customized Search for others, depending on your needs for a given search.
If the simple search form isn't producing the results you want, try the Customized Search, and vice versa.Remember, you can also find information in this directory by browsing. If you are looking for all of the programs in a particular county, for example, use the Browse by County page. If you want to see all of the programs in one of the major subject areas (i.e., The Arts, Business & Industry, etc.), use the Browse by Subject Area page.
The information you're seeking may be outside the scope of this directory. Please take advantage of our Other Online Community Assistance Resources page for links to additional sources of information.
Finally, if you are having trouble with a particular search in this directory, and none of the above tips helps, please contact the State Outreach office at (313) 764-9256, or michigan.outreach@umich.edu.