Databases are typically online collections of articles from magazines, journals, and newspapers.
Increasingly databases may contain eBooks, images, and recordings.
While some databases contain content for every citation, many contain only partial content. For instance, a particular database may only have full text content for the last thirty years, with citations and/or abstracts to earlier dates.
You may also encounter "embargoed" titles - titles whose content is blocked online by the publisher for the first month, six months, or year.
If you know the title to a database you may find it alphabetically under either the ALL Tab or under the appropriate letter Tab above.
You may also click on the By Subject link in the box to your right to find a database by its Subject or Format.
Use Journal Search to look up the holdings for a specific Magazine, Journal, or Newspaper.
If the title is one of the tens of thousands available in the Thrift Library, then you will be told what databases contain that title... there may be a lot...
...as well as the years of coverage for each database...they may differ from database to database.
This is particularly important when determining whether a title is embargoed (delayed) in one database, but not another; or when picking the database whose coverage extends furthest back in time.
Note that databases are constantly changing title coverage. Journal Search provides current title coverage.
What’s a library database, by RMIT University. Learn how the library’s databases will get you a better grade than Google with this two minute animation.
Click on the link above.