General Library Orientation

A database is an organized, searchable, collection of information. 

The information in library databases typically includes include full text articles, article or book citations, eBooks, streaming videos, streaming audio, and primary source materials.

You can use library databases to find scholarly information.

This video, created by the University of Houston libraries, helps explain the difference between library databases and Google.

What's the difference between a research database and Google?

Foley Library offers over 400 subscription databases.

You can locate the best database for you research by:

• Using a Research Subject Guide. This is a list of curated resources gathered by a librarian specific to each academic discipline.
• Browsing the Database List by subject

• Using the search box

• Browsing the databases alphabetically

Very few databases will have the full text of every article. Sometimes, a database only provides the citation and abstract. This is useful for evaluating the relevance of the article to your research, but not so great, if you decide that you want to read the entire article.

If you find an article, click on the record. You will then see some access options in the article record. Sometimes, one of the buttons will lead to the publisher website, and will ask you to pay money to access the article. A good rule of thumb is that if the button doesn't say the word "Free," then it probably isn't. If there isn't already free full text, the next step is to check Gonzaga's holdings to see if we have full text through another source.  Most databases will offer a link to do this. It may look like the Get It @ Gonzaga button picture below, or it may say "Check Gonzaga Libraries for Full Text Options."

These links will connect you to Primo Library Search, and search all of our collections to find access if we have it, or give you request options if we do not have it.

In the Primo search results, make sure to look just below the citation information -- if there are Open Access options, they may be listed here. If not, scroll down the page. You should see a section that will have links to get the full text. If there are links to database or journal subscriptions that carry the article, you can click there to get access. If this is NOT available, you will need to request the article via Interlibrary Loan by clicking on the Request Item via ILL button. It is a good idea to pay attention to publication dates. Sometimes we may have a journal, but not the issue you need. If that is the case you can also request it via ILL.

Interlibrary Loan is a free service, and requests for journal articles will generally be delivered to you via PDF within 1-3 business days.

Improved Search Tips

• Experiment with different keywords and search options
• Limit to Peer Reviewed journals by checking the "Peer Reviewed' box, available on many database search pages
• Try multiple databases for an increased variety of article records
• Use boolean searching with multiple words or phrases
  • AND Limits: looks for article records with both words
  • OR Expands: looks for article records with either words
  • NOT Excludes: excludes article records containing the word
• Use Subject Headings, which are a set of terms used by a database to categorize articles
  • Within a database search interface, select Subject Terms.*
  • Enter a keyword you are looking for.
  • Browse the results for the correct subject heading.
  • Select the term. Following selection, results will only include article records that include that subject heading

*There are multiple names for this depending on the database. It may be called Descriptors, Index, Subject Headings, Subject Terms, or Thesaurus.