Answer on: Estonian archives - direct search II written by leilamiller on April 29^th, 2006 at 20:56

Advanced Search

Sometimes it's better to use the "Advanced Search". For example, when you need a record from a long list of similar ones or you know that a record dates earlier than a certain date, or you know the exact archival reference of a record. In such cases the Advanced Search is more helpful as it enables you to find information on very flexible and exact terms. The results of the Advanced Search can be conveniently sorted alphabetically or chronologically. The Advanced Search has two parts: descriptive units and creators. Descriptive units are records, series and archives. Creators are the institutions/corporate bodies and persons whose documents are preserved in the archives.

You can search for descriptive units by the titles of the records or their groups (series). You can type in any word or name, for example, a family name, a name of a town or a village, or a word you remember from your school history lessons. Search for creators enables you to find institutions whose documents are preserved in the archives. This kind of search is most effective in case you need the records of an institution without knowing its contemporary name(s). The search by creators takes into account all the names an institution has had throughout its history.

More detailed information about search units as well as meanings of the words used on AIS is available in Estonian.