Thinking more about this issue... Perhaps the solution to our differing expectations about member searches is to offer two alternatives to the member search mode: Browse, and Keyword. There could be a radio button, for instance, allowing you to pick your method. That would allow you to either do a keyword search for the middle name you're looking for, or a Browse search to give you a list of the 'smith, j' names. Does anyone else have an opinion on the issue? -- Owen ---- Nelsonville Public Library Koha 1.9.2

On Fri, 25 Apr 2003, Owen Leonard wrote:

...

Another question about member searches:

If you search for 'smith, j' names returned will include:

Smith, Brian J. Smith, Bobbi J.

as well as:

Smith, James Smith, Jacob

I would expect the latter, but not the former. I assumed that the search was looking for first names *beginning with* J, not just including J as a keyword. I would consider the 'beginning with' search to be preferable.

It looks to me as if you _are_ getting the results of a "word begins with ..." search (i.e., you're getting all members who have a name that begins with "smith" and a word that begins with "j"). And IMHO searching by middle name or initial, or even nickname makes sense. I know a number of people who go by their middle names (and, in one extreme case, Vernon Lee Last-name- withheld goes by "Skip").

At any rate, Koha's behavior above seems intuitive to me. Maybe my intuition is different from yours.