CATEGORIES

The Methodist and Waldesian Cultural Heritage’s portal consists of a catalogue you can consult: this contains a large variety of elements which are preserved in libraries, archives, museums, churches, and historical sites.

It is possible to search for keywords and places, which provide increasingly detailed suggestions and results; the last reading level, the catalog record, has all the links to the searched-for item.

To simplify your search and the results list, the different types of items that make up the catalogue are identified by specific symbols.

GENERAL SEARCH

Enter a keyword and begin your search.

If you have any doubts about your keyword, suggestions will appear in the space under the search bar.

Suggestions are divided by category (title of the piece, name of the author, glossary, subject area, etc.).

You can direct your search, or filter your desired results, using the check-list on the sidebar. You will see the results update in real time according to your preferences.

ADVANCED SEARCH

If you want to skip the General search or you want to start with a more advanced kind of research, push the “Advanced search” button, located in the Home page and on the sidebar.

This feature allows you to narrow the search results, adding at the same time more search features and options according to the selected category. For example, by clicking on the “Photograph” category in the “Search by category” box, a new option (Materials and Techniques) will appear underneath the “Category” box.

By clicking on that, a tab will appear and you will be able to choose between several new options, selectable by clicking on them. This tab can be expanded or collapsed by clicking on the > icon. While the tab is collapsed, the selected option will be still visible under the category’s name.

HIGHLIGHTS

The results that appear under “Highlights” are those most relevant to your search.

The other results appear in order of relevance (that is, based upon other users’ previous searches). If your search requires it, you can change this parameter and choose to see the results in alphabetical (A-Z, Z-A) or chronological order (by date of creation).

Every result will feature a preview of the item’s picture, its name and the symbol corresponding to its category.

RECORD

Access the catalogue’s record information, including name, date, author, production location, technique and material. You can also find a description of the item and its subjects, meaning the keywords related to it and to its characteristics (name, setting, description, etc.).

A high-resolution picture of the item is visible by simply clicking on it.

The map beneath the record will help you understand where the item is located: the blue marker indicates where the item was created, the red one shows where it’s currently located.

From here, by clicking on “see on map”, you can see where the items are located.

MINIMAP

Each catalogue record is provided with a traditional map and a minimap, designed to help users find where items are stored and preserved in Italy.

By clicking on the minimap, depicting Italy’s twenty geographical regions, the selected region will be highlighted in dark green. Regions highlighted in light green are those where users will find similar items.

CONTEXT

To offer efficient answers and to prompt new searches, results and records are always presented in a specific context. The context changes for every type of item: it depends on the subjects of the catalogue records.

By clicking on a context result, you can access the chosen item’s catalog card.

SET RECORD

Among the catalogue’s records, one is called “Insieme”. This card contains information about groups of items that are related and linked together.

SET RECORD-TREE

The “Insieme” record contains a function called “Albero”. By clicking on the "Structure" tab, you will access a graphic representation that simulates a hierarchical tree structure.

By clicking on the icon, a tree graph will appear, with a root value and subtrees of children linked together with a parent node. Instructions are provided on the upper part of the graph.

The tree graph is designed to describe visually the links and connections among the items in the catalogue. This function works together with other research tools in the website.

CONNECTIONS

The catalogue is made of several kinds of records. The ones dedicated to people, families and institutions are provided with a graphic representation that simulates a hierarchical structure. The chart is structured with the main root value in the center and rays that visually describe the connections (eg. Son of, Husband of, Brother of, Member of, Pastor of…) among the root value and other items that may be in the catalogue. The connections colored in green can be clicked and explored further.