Although I am writing these hints to help you find items easier in this store, they apply more generally to all searches on the web.

Less is more. The less you restrict your searches, the more results you will get. The downside is that you may receive too many results. As in all things, aim for balance. Generally, you should avoid being overly restrictive. If a search using two words gives too many results, add a third. Maybe even a fourth.

Use surnames (last name) when searching for people. You will get better results if you search for "Willkie" than if you search for "Wendall Willkie."

Searching for specific phrases is extremely handy. You can search for phrases in the Google search engine by enclosing your words with quote marks. For instance, trying searching for "Baltimore & Ohio". Many other search engines, including the Papermental search, have a special setting to restrict search to phrases.

Avoid searching for special characters. Search engines all handle special characters (!@#$%^&*~) differently. While you may learn how one search engine works today, understand that behavior may change.

Avoid using articles and super-common words such as the, and, when, where, but, because, der, de, la, ala, and so forth.

Spelling is crucial. Currently, most search engines are unforgiving about mispelled words. Be sure that you start your searches by spelling words correctly.

Catalogers and web developers make their own spelling mistakes. Be cautious in assuming that everyone checks spelling.

Spelling changes over time. For instance, back in the 1940s, the correct spelling was "cigaret." Similarly, "Tokio", "Hayti", "Porto Rico", and "Corea" were once accepted spellings among English speakers. Be conscious of legitimate variable spellings.

Search for word fragments, if possible. The Papermental search engine allows searching for partial word. This trick is very handy when spelling differences are possible. It is also very valuable when searching for words that can occur in both singular and plural forms. For instance, searching for 'cigaret' in the Papermental search engine will find cigaret, cigarets, cigarette, and cigarettes.

Searching for abbreviations is usually not adviseable. The biggest problem is variable spelling. I do not use spaces in my abbrevations in this store. Therefore, you may safely search for B&O, N&W, C&O and find a few items. Even if you find some items using abbreviations, you should also search using the parent words.