Choosing a Library Database
As we saw yesterday, Lamson Library provides access to more than 100 databases. Many databases focus on one particular subject area or on one type of material. It’s a lot to keep track of, but you don’t need to memorize what each of these databases is good for.
Subjects Drop-Down Menu
One way to narrow it down is to use the Subjects drop-down menu located at the top of the page.
For example, if we choose Criminal Justice, the list will show only the databases that are most likely to have resources in that subject.
After you've chosen a Subject from the drop-down menu, you'll have a much shorter list of databases to choose from.
The "Best Bets" are exactly that -- these databases are highly likely to have resources appropriate to your research.
Keep in mind that you may need to use more than one database to complete your research. There is sometimes overlap among databases, but they all contain unique material.
Database Type Drop-Down Menu
There may be times that an instructor asks you to find a particular format, like a newspaper article or a journal article.
Sometimes reading the descriptions of the databases is helpful; it will say if the database contains videos, journals, or books. There are also cute little icons with informative text that appears when you hover your mouse over them.
But you can also see which databases contain different formats of resources by using the Database Types drop-down menu.
NOTE: If an instructor asks you to find "scholarly articles" or "peer reviewed articles" they are talking about the kind of articles that are published in academic journals. To find these types of articles, choose "Journal articles" from the Database Types drop-down menu.
Challenge!
Choose one of the five topics below:
- causes of workplace stress among nurses
- forest management practices that lower forest fire risk
- political polarization in US in the 19th century
- effects of increasing funding arts & humanities
- factors contributing to the rise of inflation
To complete the challenge, answer the following prompts (add them to your Database Challenge Worksheet from yesterday if required by your instructor):
- Topic you chose
- Subject would you choose from the Databases A-Z List Subjects drop-down menu
- One database that you might use to find scholarly articles on this topic
- One database that you might use to find current news articles on this topic
Enter your answers under Day 2 on your Databases Challenge Worksheet.