A Database is a Searchable Online Collection of Data
Databases are everywhere.
- Your iTunes library (if you have one) is a database: a collection of songs and information about those songs, (artist names, song titles, album titles, genres, etc.)
- The Amazon shopping website is a database: a collection of items you can buy and information about them (descriptions, prices, dimensions, images, etc.)
- Google itself is a database: a collection of links to websites and information about those websites (URLs, titles, snippets, etc.)
Library databases are collections of information resources like newspaper, magazine and journal articles, images, and videos and information about those resources (authors, titles, dates of publication, summaries, etc.)
Many databases, including library databases, are part of the deep web, meaning they are behind a paywall or require authentication to access. Each library chooses the databases that are most relevant to their communities and buys access to those databases for their community. By using login credentials to limit who can access these databases, libraries make available deep web content that Google can’t show you. The PSU library makes available over one hundred databases.
Locating PSU Databases
Look for the green Library Databases button near the middle of the Library home page, below the search box.
As you can see, some databases focus on a particular subject area (like America History and Life), and some focus on a particular format (like Academic Video Online.)
Challenge!
Part 1
The definition of a database is very broad:
A database is a searchable online collection of data.
What other databases can you think of that you use or are aware of in your everyday life?
- Describe one example of a database not used above and
- Name three kinds of information included in that database
Example:
iTunes is a database of songs and albums. It contains information like the artist name, playtime of each song, album that the song appears on, and the genre or style of music.
Part 2
Use the instructions above to visit the PSU Library Databases List. To show that you have visited the list, write down the name of a database that starts with the same letter as either your first or last name.