Ah, but I'm not the one building the wheel! I'm just ordering it. MeiLin is building it, and she clearly knows what she's doing. She was able to read the list of requested features and say, "Yeah, Drupal can do all that." So if multiple-search is a feature, she'll figure out a sensible way to do it, including if it's something that can be taken straight out of the box like several other requested features.

You know, I just realized ... I don't think I've used a library search function since they were computerized. I grew up on card catalogs. By the time computers were coming in, I didn't need the gear anymore. I just walked to the books I wanted.