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Using Databases: About Databases

This guide will introduce you to the library Databases at WIU. You will find out what we subscribe to and where they are located. It is intended to provide information for scholarly research and to supplement classroom learning.

Having trouble using the library databases?

 The library databases are a great way to find credible information for your classes and research papers. This guide will help you understand how to effectively use the library databases for your research.

What's a Library Database?

Library Databases are an online resource available for free to faculty, students, and staff. A library database searchable electronic index of published, reliable resources.Databases provide access to a wealth of useful research materials from academic journals, newspapers, and magazines. Databases can be found on the library page by subject, database type, or the vendors/providers. The library pays a subscription to many databases. Searching these databases allows you find scholarly information, such as: Journals, Newspapers, Magazines, and Books.

I Can't Figure Out How To Do It?

Having trouble using the library databases?

The library databases are a great way to find credible information for your classes and research papers. This guide will help you understand how to effectively use the library databases for your research. Most databases have an online help function that will show you the different databases functions. 

It's always a good idea to briefly review the help file and see what functions are available, as these may differ from database to database. If you can't figure it out on your own, Ask a librarian for more help!

What Do They Let You Do?

Try Searching Databases

The Library has books to help you do research, but what about articles?  All of our databases allow you to search through millions of different journals, magazines, and newspapers to find articles on a wide array of topics. Many of the articles are Full Text which means you can read the entire article right there online.

Organize Your Search

More recently, databases have added features that let you organize and share the information in them to help support your research. Some of these new features include the ability to create RSS feeds and alerts that send you a message when new items arrive in the database on a particular topic. Some databases like Academic Search Complete have the ability to create folders for you to save your articles and searches, and share them with others, such as people you may be working with on a group project.