Introduction to Library Databases
This page explains what a library database is and how it differs from searching Google, how High School students can access library databases, and how to find our library databases.
Navigating this Page: This page is designed with multiple learning pathways. The same information is covered in each pathway, so simply choose whichever fits your learning style best. You can explore the information two ways: Text (read about the information with accompanying screenshot images) and Watch (watch a video about the information).
A library database is a collection of information that often contains a wide range of source types including newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and many more. Library databases allow you to access scholarly content, making searching for peer-reviewed content quicker and easier. Broome Library has access to over 200 research databases to help you with your research.
You may be tempted to use Google for your research, and while Google can be a helpful tool there are many reasons to use a library database instead.
| Fields | Library Database | |
|---|---|---|
| Credibility | Anyone can create a webpage, there is no quality control or editorial process. | Articles are fact-checked, reviewed by editors, or peer reviewed for accuracy. |
| Limiters | Few (if any) limiters leads to too many results, which means quality information can get buried and it will take you a lot more time to go through the results. | Databases allow you to focus your search results with limiters or filters. These limiters include limiting results by date, publication, subject, graphs, audience, author, and many more. |
| Cost | Many (if not most) journal articles are not available for free online. Instead, Google will direct you to a website where you can pay for the materials (that the library likely has free access for you). | Library pays for access to scholarly materials that are hidden behind paywalls online and you can use the Interlibrary Loan program to borrow almost any source the library doesn’t currently have. |
| Algorithms and Confirmation Bias | Search results based on what it thinks you want, algorithms, your search history, and location. This can lead to confirmation bias. | Databases base your results on relevancy and the criteria of your search terms and filters. This makes it easier to find multiple perspectives in your research and prevent confirmation bias. |
| Timeliness | Familiar search engine where you can search sentences or questions in natural language. | Not as familiar and you need to select critical keywords phrases, and concepts for your search strategy. You don't use natural language. |
| Search Language | Information is constantly updated and will include immediate and current ideas, news events, and topics. | Information is not as immediate. There are many news related databases but some of them materials won't be posted in a database until a few days after they source was originally published. |
A library database is a collection of information that often contains a wide range of source types including newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and many more. Library databases allow you to access scholarly content, making searching for peer-reviewed content quicker and easier. Broome Library has access to over 200 research databases to help you with your research.
Watch this 2:34 video for a very brief introduction to the different types of library databases and why to use them instead of Google.
Video Credit: "What are Databases and Why do you Need Them?" by Yavapai College Library licensed under Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed).
Non-CSUCI students, faculty, and staff can access our library's electronic resources (such as databases) when visiting the library in person. Simply come to the reference desk (large circular desk in the center of the library) and ask a librarian for a guest login information.
Unfortunately, we cannot grant remote access to our databases and other electronic resources.
There won't be one perfect database for your research and you will likely consult at least 2 to 3 different databases during the research process. Therefore, knowing how to find the right database for your research is a critical skill for researchers. CI subscribes to over 200 databases but don't worry, you are not expected to know all of them. This section will demonstrate two methods for finding and selecting the right database for you.
Go to the main library homepage. Then click the Databases A-Z link, which will bring you to a webpage that lists all 200+ library databases. This is a good place to start if you know exactly what database you want to access or wish to browse the databases. The screenshot to the right provides a visual of this main landing webpage. This webpage has three methods to help you explore the library's databases:
Research Guides are curated lists of resources, crafted by librarians, that group together library and web resources on a specific subject or topic. These can be a great place to start your research because a librarian has gone through the 200+ library databases and selected the ones that will be the most useful for research in a specific subject.
You can find the research guides by going to the main library homepage and then clicking the Research Guides link on the left-hand side of the screen. This main landing webpage you show all of our research guides. This includes subject-specific guides for many CI majors (such as Africana Studies, Early Childhood Studies, History...) as well as guides on resources on Affinity Months, Finals De-Stressing, and Citations. Select the research guide you feel is most relevant to your research topic. If you are researching a multidisciplinary topic, you may want to look at multiple research guides. For example, if you were researching student success for elementary students with learning disabilities you should look at both the early childhood studies and the psychology research guides.
The research guides will all look a little different but all of them will include a tab for Databases. The screenshot below is an example of the database page from our History Research Guide.
There won't be one perfect database for your research and you will likely consult at least 2 to 3 different databases during the research process. Therefore, knowing how to find the right database for your research is a critical skill for researchers. CI subscribes to over 200 databases but don't worry, you are not expected to know all of them. This section will demonstrate two methods for finding and selecting the right database for you.
Watch this 10:47 video for an overview on finding databases in Broome Library.
Video Credit: "Finding Databases at Broome Library" by Breeann Austin, Broome Library licensed under Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)