Databases are Web-based resources that provide users with access to all kinds of periodical literature; that is: magazine, newspaper and journal articles as well as other types of online documents.
They cover all academic subject areas. Each database includes citations to journal articles. Some also offer full-text articles.
Academic libraries subscribe to numerous databases in order to help students, faculty and staff conduct research and complete class assignments. They pay different vendors (i.e. InfoTrac, Ovid, etc.) to provide its users with this valuable, published information because it cannot be found elsewhere on normal Web sites! And, databases are updated weekly-to-monthly so they are really just as timely as the Web!
Databases are good for
locating recent information on current affairs; local and national topics
locating a study or research that is conducted by scholars and professionals in a field
comparing and contrasting multiple viewpoints on a given topic
Examples of Databases: InfoTrac's Expanded Academic ASAP, Ovid's CINAHL, PsychInfo, Ebsco's Academic Search Full-Text Elite, Wilson’s Omnifile Mega, etc.
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