About Databases

What is a library database?

A library database is an electronic index that allows you to search for information within a particular publication. All databases contain records about journal articles. Some databases may also include records about conference papers, book chapters and newspaper articles. A database record may contain the full text or it may only contain a citation.

What searches can I do in a database?

Similar to catalogue searching, databases can be searched by keywords, title, author, subject and publication title etc. The search type you choose affects the results you get because they each search your keywords in different places of a database record.

Understanding database records