Library databases (also known as bibliographic databases) are organised collections of information and links to published literature, such as journal or newspaper articles. Items indexed in databases usually include a citation, abstract and often a link to the full-text of the item. Produced by major academic publishers, databases are aligned to specific subject areas, disciplines and even types of sources.

There are databases for journal articles, music, law reports, film/radio & tv output, market research reports, medieval texts and much more. Some databases are freely available on the web, others are paid for by your University.

There are different types of databases:

• Full-text – contains the full-text of journal articles etc., often able to download as PDF.
• Indexing and abstracting – offer details about the item but not the full-text.
• Audio-visual – allow you to download or stream images, video or sound.

Google, Google Scholar and LibrarySearch are all good places to search for information to inform your assignments but their results span all disciplines and the sheer volume of results can be overwhelming. Using a subject-specific library database can help you to find manageable levels of relevant, scholarly material that is not normally surfaced in tools like Google.

Academic information is a commodity, and often sits behind a paywall. The Library subscribes to subject-specific databases so that you can access information that would otherwise be unavailable or unaffordable to individual users. By using the resources, you have access to a wider base of scholarly literature to use for your assignments.

You can browse the A-Z list of CCCU library databases via LibrarySearch. However, the publishers’ names for databases can be abbreviated or so vague as to obscure their use or relation to your subject.

Your Learning and Research Librarian curates and maintains a guide to key resources in your subject area where they recommend the top databases for your field. There are guides for each subject and also for themes such as Maths & Stats and Media Resources. The Research Methods guides is excellent for Level 5 students needing to find information about different research methodologies and yes, there is a database that focuses on research methods too.

To find resources for your subject visit the Subject Guides.

LibrarySearch provides access to databases in two ways.

1. When you carry out a search, LibrarySearch will scan a few major databases simultaneously in order to retrieve your results. However, it does not search across all the databases that will be relevant to your subject area, and the number of results returned from this type of cross-search can be overwhelming.
2. All the library databases subscribed to at CCCU can be seen and accessed via the Find Databases A-Z list in LibrarySearch. You can find this link on the right-hand side of the main LibrarySearch screen. Listed alphabetically, the blue information icon includes brief details about the databases’ content and, for some, there are ‘how to’ guides available.

To gain access to the databases, you must be logged in to LibrarySearch and some databases may ask you to accept Terms and Conditions before you are able to access them.