Databases

Online Databases
Back in the day, the fastest way to find an article on a topic was to go to the library's vertical files. Vertical files were stored in filing cabinets. If you opened a drawer, you'd find (surprise!) file folders filled with articles on any given subject, and all the subject folders would be in alphabetical order. If you pulled one of the file folders, you'd find newspaper clippings, magazine articles, pamphlets, fact sheets, and, if it's been kept up, printed pages of websites.

These days, libraries have access to databases. Databases are essentially virtual vertical files and quite often work like a search engine. In the search box, you'd type in the subject you're looking for and hit search. The results will be magazine articles, newspapers, or whatever that database contains.

Many databases, such as General Reference Center Gold and WilsonSelect Plus are general databases where you can find current articles on just about any given topic. Some databases have just as many just as many subjects but are geared toward elementary, middle, and high school students. But other databases are specialized by subject. Turfgrass Information File, or TGIF, is a database specializing in the care and maintenance of golf course turf. Health Reference Center Academic has information on health and medicne. There are other databases that specialize in business, genealogy, education, social sciences, and local and state history.

Exercise 1.
Michigan students: [|MeL] has a number of databases which are provided to Michigan residents through the Library of Michigan. Open this link in another browser window (right click on the link and click on "Open in New Window"). Visit each of these databases: InfoTrac Junior, SIRS Discoverer, NetLibrary, and ELibrary Elementary. Look around the main page and see if you can find helpful or interesting features, then search for something that you're currently studying in another class, and answer these questions for each of the databases...


 * 1) What subject did you search for?
 * 2) How do you search in this database (Keyword? Directory? Some other way?)
 * 3) Are the results available in PDF, HTML, or another format? (What's the difference between these? Click on PDF, look at it, then go back and click on the other to find out.)
 * 4) Does it give you information that is helpful? How would you use it in your class?
 * 5) What is one feature you like? One thing you don't like?
 * 6) Would you use this database again? Why or why not?
 * 7) What advice would you give to someone who is visiting this database for the first time?