Thursday, November 1, 2012

Databases...


The library makes a large selection of databases available to our patrons.  Databases aggregate information.  You’ll find general databases that pull information from a wide array of sources and cover a wide array of topics.  An example of this type of database would be Proquest’s Research Library or Gale’s General OneFile.  Both pull from books, magazines, journals, newspapers, etc.  Other databases can be highly specialized, providing in-depth information on a single topic or area of interest.  Examples of this type of database include Chiltonlibrary.com (which focuses solely on automotive repair), Health & Wellness Resource Center (which focuses on health information), Ancestry Library Edition (which helps those seeking to do genealogical research), and many more.

Check out our database page (http://databases.lapl.org/) to find a list of all the databases the library subscribes to.  Looking at the page you’ll see each database listed with a brief description as well as a number (1, 2, or 3). Databases with the number 1 can be accessed from any computer, though you will need to have your library card handy.  Databases with the number 2 can be accessed from any library computer.  Databases with the number 3 can only be accessed from computers at the Central Library. 

I plan to periodically highlight databases for what they do well in these posts… keep an eye open.