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Use the PAS Database
Using the search engine on the PAS database is daunting for some - these pages will show youits do-able and also how to do it!
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Using PAS database 
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PAS Advanced Search 
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PAS Quick Search 
 
Using PAS database
From the Portable Antiquities blog by Dan Pett.I believe the best thing for you to do is register with the database. This opens up some of themore useful features to you. To do this, visit:http://www.findsdatabase.org.uk/hms/registration.php Fill in your details, and then by return email, you will be activated. This email expires after 24hours, so if it doesn’t arrive, check your spam box. Once activated, you can now access thefollowing:1. Save your searches (either for reuse on the system each time you visit, or as an RSS feed thatyou can use as an alert system – this needs some special feed reading software, or for reuse inyour own website – see the home page of 
this
websitehttp://www.ourpasthistory.com
 
)2. Change preferences, such as viewing thumbnails in search lists, changing the number of thumbnails that you can view, changing the number of records per page.3. Enable tracking of your experience. I can see what people want to search upon and thereforeidentify problems. You cannot be identified by name as it just logs searches by auto-registeredgroups.Once registered, you might need some help searching the database to get the best out of it.
There are 3 main areas for searching the database:
• Quick search – via the box in the header or the single search box from the search menu.
click here for instructions on how to use
 • Advanced search – most popular across all user groups and requires a modicum of effort toconstruct a search.
click here for instructions on how to use
• Image search – perhaps most useful for quick searching for visual recognition.
 
 The fourth type of search – “visual” – is to become obsolete soon as so few people use it. Thequick search box in the header is limited on the fields that can be searched within the database.These fields are:• Object type – for example coin, brooch, axe• Period – for example Roman, Early Medieval• Ascribed culture – this is only used for Early Medieval objects
How do I search the image bank?
This is very simple and requires very little input to gain lots of output. However, it is hamperedby the labelling terms entered by our recorders. To find coins of Trajan, enter Trajan in the filterbox and press filter as shown below. You can then scroll through pages of anything attributed toTrajan. More often than not, you’ll get mostly coins back for that particular search.
How do I use RSS feeds?
These are perhaps the most powerful feature of the database and also the most underused feature.RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, and it is a way for one to share content easily. Youneed to download some software (seehttp://www.finds.org.uk/news/rss.phpfor moreinformation) and then create and save a search as an RSS feed. I currently use some softwarecalled “Feedreader”, simple and easy to install fromhttp://www.feedreader.com.Once you save the search as an RSS feed you can paste the address you are presented with intoyour feed reader. Every time a new find that meets your search criteria is added to the database,the software alerts you to its existence. Lazy man’s surfing! If you don’t fancy creating your ownfeeds, try some of the ones that I have already created. You can also get RSS feeds from a wholerange of other sites, for example the BBC, Google’s news pages and many more.The other advantage of RSS, is that these feeds can be reused in your own website. If you wantto do this, email me at the British Museum for more details. It could invigorate your web sitewith finds for your parish, county or even your own finds!
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