Research Methods: Library Databases

The basic definition of a library database:

    A library database is an electronic catalog or index, often contains information about published items, and is searchable.

Types of material found using library databases are:

    Articles from Journals and Magazines
    Electronic Books
    Newspapers
    Images
    Reference Sources

Library databases typically provide citation information about the items they index. A citation most often consists of:

    Author
    Title of Article
    Source (Title of Publication)
    Publisher
    Date of Publication

Some library databases provide abstracts of the items they index. Abstracts are summaries provided by the author or database publisher.

Some library databases provide the full text (entire article) of some of the items they index.

Library databases sometimes omit photos, graphs, charts, and figures from articles, but most will indicate that these have been omitted.

--Boston College University Libraries

List of TMCC Library databases, with links and individual descriptions.

The databases listed in this Research Guide are available only to Truckee Meadows Community College students, faculty and staff. You will need your TMCC credentials (Username and Password) to access them off-campus.

Help with searching is available at the Reference Desk or by calling 775-674-7602. You may also make an appointment to work with a librarian as well.

• A-Z List of Databases: this list can be sorted by database content, by subject and by type of database (full-text, video, etc).
• The Library Databases page: a full list of library databases, grouped by type of database.