Below is a list of information to make your search easier.
Helpful Search Hints:
The best search is a precise search. If you enter 'champaign county' into the search; expect a lot of results as almost every document has this text in it. Also, a search that is too specific may not yield any results. That is where the following search symbols may come in handy. They can help you narrow your search, and still enable you to get what you want.
| Symbol | Function | Example | Result |
| + | A leading plus sign indicates that the word(s) must be present. | +zoning +amendment | Finds documents with both 'zoning' and 'amendment' |
| - | A leading minus sign indicates that the word(s) must NOT be present. | zoning -amendment | Finds documents with 'zoning' but not 'amendment' |
| " " | Enclose a phrase in double quotes to search for the phrase exactly as it was typed. | "county clerk" | finds the exact phrase 'county clerk' |
| * | Multiple character wildcard | urban* c*n |
Finds 'urbana', 'urbanization', etc., or 'champaign', 'construction', etc. |
The search will not yield any results if you enter any one of the following stop words:
| a's | able | about | above | according |
| accordingly | across | actually | after | afterwards |
| again | against | ain't | all | allow |
| allows | almost | alone | along | already |
| also | although | always | am | among |
| amongst | an | and | another | any |
| anybody | anyhow | anyone | anything | anyway |
| anyways | anywhere | apart | appear | appreciate |
| appropriate | are | aren't | around | as |
| aside | ask | asking | associated | at |
| available | away | awfully | be | became |
| because | become | becomes | becoming | been |
| before | beforehand | behind | being | believe |
| below | beside | besides | best | better |
| between | beyond | both | brief | but |
| by | c'mon | c's | came | can |
| can't | cannot | cant | cause | causes |
| certain | certainly | changes | clearly | co |
| com | come | comes | concerning | consequently |
| consider | considering | contain | containing | contains |
| corresponding | could | couldn't | course | currently |
| definitely | described | despite | did | didn't |
| different | do | does | doesn't | doing |
| don't | done | down | downwards | during |
| each | edu | eg | eight | either |
| else | elsewhere | enough | entirely | especially |
| et | etc | even | ever | every |
| everybody | everyone | everything | everywhere | ex |
| exactly | example | except | far | few |
| fifth | first | five | followed | following |
| follows | for | former | formerly | forth |
| four | from | further | furthermore | get |
| gets | getting | given | gives | go |
| goes | going | gone | got | gotten |
| greetings | had | hadn't | happens | hardly |
| has | hasn't | have | haven't | having |
| he | he's | hello | help | hence |
| her | here | here's | hereafter | hereby |
| herein | hereupon | hers | herself | hi |
| him | himself | his | hither | hopefully |
| how | howbeit | however | i'd | i'll |
| i'm | i've | ie | if | ignored |
| immediate | in | inasmuch | inc | indeed |
| indicate | indicated | indicates | inner | insofar |
| instead | into | inward | is | isn't |
| it | it'd | it'll | it's | its |
| itself | just | keep | keeps | kept |
| know | knows | known | last | lately |
| later | latter | latterly | least | less |
| lest | let | let's | like | liked |
| likely | little | look | looking | looks |
| ltd | mainly | many | may | maybe |
| me | mean | meanwhile | merely | might |
| more | moreover | most | mostly | much |
| must | my | myself | name | namely |
| nd | near | nearly | necessary | need |
| needs | neither | never | nevertheless | new |
| next | nine | no | nobody | non |
| none | noone | nor | normally | not |
| nothing | novel | now | nowhere | obviously |
| of | off | often | oh | ok |
| okay | old | on | once | one |
| ones | only | onto | or | other |
| others | otherwise | ought | our | ours |
| ourselves | out | outside | over | overall |
| own | particular | particularly | per | perhaps |
| placed | please | plus | possible | presumably |
| probably | provides | que | quite | qv |
| rather | rd | re | really | reasonably |
| regarding | regardless | regards | relatively | respectively |
| right | said | same | saw | say |
| saying | says | second | secondly | see |
| seeing | seem | seemed | seeming | seems |
| seen | self | selves | sensible | sent |
| serious | seriously | seven | several | shall |
| she | should | shouldn't | since | six |
| so | some | somebody | somehow | someone |
| something | sometime | sometimes | somewhat | somewhere |
| soon | sorry | specified | specify | specifying |
| still | sub | such | sup | sure |
| t's | take | taken | tell | tends |
| th | than | thank | thanks | thanx |
| that | that's | thats | the | their |
| theirs | them | themselves | then | thence |
| there | there's | thereafter | thereby | therefore |
| therein | theres | thereupon | these | they |
| they'd | they'll | they're | they've | think |
| third | this | thorough | thoroughly | those |
| though | three | through | throughout | thru |
| thus | to | together | too | took |
| toward | towards | tried | tries | truly |
| try | trying | twice | two | un |
| under | unfortunately | unless | unlikely | until |
| unto | up | upon | us | use |
| used | useful | uses | using | usually |
| value | various | very | via | viz |
| vs | want | wants | was | wasn't |
| way | we | we'd | we'll | we're |
| we've | welcome | well | went | were |
| weren't | what | what's | whatever | when |
| whence | whenever | where | where's | whereafter |
| whereas | whereby | wherein | whereupon | wherever |
| whether | which | while | whither | who |
| who's | whoever | whole | whom | whose |
| why | will | willing | wish | with |
| within | without | won't | wonder | would |
| would | wouldn't | yes | yet | you |
| you'd | you'll | you're | you've | your |
| yours | yourself | yourselves | zero |