A collection of data arranged for ease and speed of search and retrieval.
In the library world, a database is a collection of articles, ebooks, videos, or other resources, which can be quickly searched by keyword, author, publication or other terms. Most materials in library databases are not available to the general public or standard Internet search engines. The library pays a substantial fee to make them available to Concordia library users.
Databases typically make searching easier.
Databases often are organized by topics or subjects or materials, have multiple filters which can limit or increase search results in various ways, and can provide access to resources which are otherwise not obtainable. As was mentioned in the definition, one of the primary functions of a database is speed of retrieval. This means databases are designed to provide quick access to materials which are actually useful to you, instead of just providing access to as many resources as possible.
Scholarly (Peer-Reviewed) Resources: You may see that an instructor requires scholarly or peer-reviewed resources. Databases are not the only way to get access to these types of resources, but like stated above, they're often the fastest or easiest.
Databases work essentially the same as many internet search engines that you may be familiar with (Google, for example). However, Google and most web search engines use your search terms and look for "anything out there" and then send you somewhere else to get your information. A database in a sense, will keep you in their system. These databases actually work similarly to how Amazon.com works. You can search for just about anything, add limitations to your search and terms, and find related searches, but all are within Amazon's setup. Amazon doesn't send you to Walmart or Target, they keep you in Amazon's "ecosystem." These databases aren't going to send you to some organization's website for the information you're looking for, like Google would, instead you stay in the Database's ecosystem. There are pros and cons to this, but in most cases that ecosystem is cut off from standard search engine searches, meaning only that database has access to it.
Databases usually focus their subject matter and curate their collections, or we have subscriptions to very specific collections in those databases. This means that there may be databases that work really well for some subject matter, but have almost nothing in other areas. For example, the Quick Links on this page represent some of our most popular databases, but each has a different focus and will provide you with very different materials.
Academic Search Premier: This is our standard database which holds many academic and popular resources and is our most used database. It covers a wide range of information with tons of publications with Full Text access. To learn how to use this database better, jump to the Help Using Databases section of this page and watch the videos "Finding Articles" and "Judging Articles" for an in-depth look at how to use this resource.
JSTOR: JSTOR is another very popular database, with a "how to" video in the Help Using Databases section. JSTOR is not just a database that offers many various resources in full text, but is also an Archive. Simply put, JSTOR has a lot of great information both new and old, and it'll always be there.
Films on Demand: Films on demand is a database that holds tons of educational videos on many different subjects. What's more, they provide citation materials and video embed options, for use in presentations or saving for later.
Nexis Uni: Formerly Nexis Lexis, this database collects newspaper articles from all over the world, if you need news articles from a specific publication, date-range or on a topic, this is the place to look.
Others: Of course, the databases listed above are just some of the more popular database options we have access to. Link library subscribes to many more databases, please check out the Database List Page to see all the others.
