Tips for Using the Databases
General Tips
Tips Specific to the City Directory Database
Connect with the Databases
Contact Us with Concerns / Requests
General Tips for Navigating FileMaker Pro 9 Databases
- When entering a database, click "Guest Account" and do not enter an account name or password.
- If you cannot enter a database, it may be that the maximum number of users are already logged-in. Please try back again later. If the problem persists, let us know.
- Databases can be viewed in a variety of ways. To try different viewing options, experiment with the Layout and View drop down menus on the left hand side of the screen. Some databases have more than one layout, and some can be viewed in form, table, or list format.
- When in table view, to view an individual record you must click on the record (the table may shift so that the selected record is now at the top of the list). Then go to the menu on the left and select View as: Form.
- To move from one record to the next, click on the icon of the book with an arrow.
- To do a search/find, click the magnifying glass button in the toolbar, enter a word or number you want to find in a certain field, and click the "Perform Find" button on the lower left. The less information you enter to find, the more records are going to pop-up because the search will not be very restrictive. After the find, you can view the results as individual forms and move from one record to the next, or view them all in a table.
- The "Our Common Center" database can also be searched using a "Web Search" form in the Layout menu that was created so visitors could search through the historical entries about each photo. To perform a search this way, select the "Web Search" layout and then click the magnifying glass icon. Enter the text or number to be searched for and click "Perform Find." The results can be viewed as a form, list, or table.
- If you do a search and are then stuck in the same set of records, you can always return to the full set of records by clicking the icon of the eye in the toolbar on the left side of the screen.
- If you seem to be stuck in search mode, try clicking the icon of the pencil in the left hand toolbar to return to Browse mode, or try selecting a different layout.
- FileMaker also has a Help menu that can help you navigate the databases and perform more detailed searches. To access the Help menu, click on the "?" symbol in the left hand toolbar.
- If the database links are loading slowly, trying clicking the link again.
- Tip for Printing: click anywhere within the "frame" that you want to print (this will usually be the section on the right hand side of the screen that contains the database data). Then go to Print Preview and in a drop down menu you should be able to select "Only the Selected Frame." This will exclude the menu bars from the print out.
City Directory Specific Notes
- Address format: All of the addresses in the City Directory Database are in the following format: 73 South Professor. The direction (North, East, etc.) is always spelled out completely, and the address does not include Street or Road at the end. This is the address format that most of the City Directories use, so this is the format we have used consistently throughout the database.
- Enter only people's last names: Often, the directories abbreviate people's first names, or only include their initials. If you can't find someone by searching for their entire name, try just entering in the last name.
- Address changes: In 1894, the addresses in Oberlin changed. The 1894 City Directory includes a list of the new and old addresses. Some of the street names in Oberlin have changed over the years. Therefore, there are three address fields in the City Directory Database: the Pre-1894 address, the address after 1894, and finally, the current address. In most cases, the current address and the address after 1894 are the same, but in the case of street name changes and a few other exceptions, the current address is different.
- Occupations and work-places are also often abbreviated. If you want to find all of the people who worked for Oberlin College, you may need to try entering "O C" or "O. C." to find all of them.
- Choose the search type "contains" instead of "begins with" from the drop-down menu.
Connect with the Databases
Contact Us
If you continue to have difficulties with the databases, please email tourinfo@oberlinheritage.org or call 440-774-1700.
If you are intersted in seeing any of these records or photographs in person or would like to have copies made for a fee, please see our Resource Center page for more information.
