[Koha-devel] More about member searches

[Owen Leonard]

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.