Others have asked for an advanced search interface, and I think your idea of filters fits right in with that. Thanks!
What I'm imagining now is actually at least two new user tools to help them do their searches: a query builder that does the advanced operator searches for them (like Google's advanced search form) and filters on the search results.
My view is that advanced search interfaces don't add a lot of value, but filtering does.
People like to be able to explore result sets interactively. Properly implemented filters give you all the functionality of advanced search, but with the benefit of seeing exactly what you are getting dynamically.
What I'm imagining now is actually at least two new user tools to help them do their searches: a query builder that does the advanced operator searches for them (like Google's advanced search form) and filters on the search results.
You got my brain in over-drive :)