This is a guide to choosing the right online database to use for your search
What kind of information do you want? - Evaluating your choices - Selecting the right resource - eResources by subject - What titles are included in the online databases?
What is an online database?
An online database is a collection of information (example: articles from magazines, encyclopedias, pamphlets, or other published resources) that is accessed via the Internet.
The Palmerston North City Library subscribes to many pay-to-access online databases. Because we've paid the subscription fees anyone can use these for free in our Libraries. And a large number can also be accessed by Library members from their homes or on any internet-connected computer in the world, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via our info2go service.
Subjects covered by the online databases include: health, sciences, business, arts, music, women's issues, biographies, literature and novels, world history, cultures, food, sports, international and local information, current events, and much more.
Databases can be international in scope but some have a New Zealand focus. And they can be multidisciplinary or specific to a particular subject, but don’t let the existence of a database dedicated to your subject keep you from trying multidisciplinary resources as well.
The online databases provide us with many more resources in addition to our physical resources
- In effect we are adding thousands of resources to our collections: books, journals, newspapers, pamphlets, reports …
- And a majority the resources are ones that we don’t have in print form.
- The total number of the magazines and journals that we have access to via the online databases is over 12,000.
- Lots of the reference books are large in-depth multivolume sets.
The databases are fantastic resources – they take their content from high quality publications, and more content is being added in all the time. There is something there for everyone – covering a huge range of subjects, interests, and levels.
What kind of information do you want?
Think about the type of information you need and what kind of resource is more likely to contain that information. Remember different types of resources will give different types of information (i.e. newspaper articles are different from magazine or reference book articles).
Our online databases either draw their content from only one type of resource, for example new sources (e.g. Australian & NZ Newsstand), or from many types of publication – books, magazines, newspapers, reports etc. (e.g. Student Resource Center).
Fulltext vs. index – Some databases only contain a citation and abstract, to enable you to identify the article. In order to track the article down you can check the Library Catalogue to see if we have a copy of the source you need, or ask at any Advisory Desk to find out about your options (e.g. interlibrary loan and suggestion for purchase options).
Most databases link to the full text of a percent of the articles – this way you can access the article straight away. The database results indicate whether they are giving you the full text or just a citation and abstract. When you start your search there is usually an option you can select to find only full text results.
What type of resource to use?
Evaluating your choices
The information found in online databases is not usually found on the ‘free' Internet. With online databases, editors and publishers have already reviewed the information before it is published.
The editorial process usually guarantees the quality of the information, so you don't have to double-check the facts.
However, with other resources and websites you must evaluate them to discover whether they contain useful and reliable information.
It is important to think critically about possible sources of information. Who has written the item? Why? Is it credible?
Selecting the right resource
It is not uncommon to be confused about when it is appropriate to use newspaper articles, magazine articles, journal articles or books as information sources.
Resource |
Content |
Databases to use |
| Newspapers |
Brief articles about events of the day, articles of opinion (such as editorials), and other current interest information. Usually contain very localized information, as well as national and international. Also contain other sections – lifestyle, health information, gardening articles, entertainment, movie reviews, sports sections, and advertising.
Newspapers are also good for historical research of events/topics – e.g. 9/11, Sir Edmund Hillary, City Heart/the Square – and for a record of society and culture.
|
Databases to use:
Australia & NZ Newsstand;
Australia/NZ Reference Centre;
MasterFile Priemier;
General OneFile;
Library PressDisplay;
The Times Digital Archive 1785-1985
And also:
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center;
Student Resource Center |
| Magazines |
Not quite as current as newspapers, but authors have had more time to research their topic. They give more of an overview of a subject instead of the day to day developments newspapers give. Magazine articles are usually short and easy to comprehend by the general public. They contain opinion pieces about events/people. Magazines can be general or subject specific, entertainment or serious. Good place to find out more on recent developments/discoveries/happenings.
- Popular magazines: range from highly respected publications such as Scientific American and The Atlantic Monthly to general interest magazines like Newsweek, and Rolling stone. Articles in these publications tend to be written by staff writers or freelance journalists and are geared towards a general audience. Popular magazine articles are more likely to be shorter than those in academic journals. While most magazines adhere to editorial standards, articles do not go through the peer review process that academic journals do, and rarely contain bibliographic citations.
- Scholarly/Academic Journals: are generally ones that are published by and for experts. A journal reports academic, and often original research conducted by professionals or experts in a given discipline such as medicine, psychology, or literature. Journal articles are often long, complex, and can be challenging reading for those unfamiliar with the field of study. They will include abstracts (summaries), footnotes, and bibliographies. Examples: Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Journal of Accountancy, Journal of American History, and The International Journal of Ecology.
|
Databases to use:
Australia/NZ Reference Centre;
MasterFile Priemier;
General OneFile;
Science Journals;
Index NZ
And also:
Biography Resource Center;
Student Resource Center;
History Resource Center; Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center;
Health and Wellness Resource Center |
| Articles from reference books |
A good place to look for a broad event/subject overview. By the time a reference book has been written, edited, and published it is usually a long time after an event took place.
You will get articles of various lengths and depths of information from reference books.
|
Databases to use:
Biography Resource Center;
Student Resource Center;
History Resource Center;
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center;
Health and Wellness Resource Center;
Discovering Collection;
Britannica Online;
History Resource Center;
Literature Resource Center;
|
| Biographies |
Use reference book articles for short concise information, or use lending biography books on a single person for the fuller story and memoirs about person/music group. |
Databases to use:
Biography Resource Center;
Dictionary of NZ Biography;
Student Resource Center;
Discovering Collection;
History Resource Center;
Literature Resource Center;
And also:
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center;
Britannica Online |
| In-depth information on an event/topic |
Use lending or reference books devoted to the subject, rather than resources that cover multiple subjects. |
Databases to use:
Gale Virtual Reference Library - this gives you access to subject specific reference books in ebook format. You have access to the entire ebook, cover to cover. |
Finding out which magazines, journals, and books are included in the online databases
The Library catalogue only allows you to search for the names of the printed magazines and books that are held by the Library, not the ones that are included in the online databases.
To find out what publications are covered by the databases look at the information page for each database - most of them have links to the information under ‘Titles included in this database’.
Finding Journal Articles:
Consolidated searching
To find articles written on a particular topic, you need to search within an online database, or use a consolidated search tool. Consolidated searching can help with your search by searching across multiple databases at the same time.
For more information see our guide to Consolidated searching tools and techniques.
Searching tips
See the User guides and help page for basic searching tips, and instructions on how to use individual online databases.
Printing/emailing/saving
Articles can be marked, or selected, and then printed, saved to disc or to your hard-drive if you are at your home computer, or emailed.
