Living with Databases

I was just reading an old promotional piece, typewritten so I don't even know if it was ever used, about the l.W. Nixon Library. In it, the author pointed out that "On-line searches of information data bases nationwide are available to students at cost..." (Nov.2, 1990). Years earlier, a Jan. 24, 1986 article from The El Dorado Times, quoted Mrs. Waltman, the library supervisor, "The campus library now has the capability of doing computer research into more than 300 data bases in the nation."

Well, we've still got them. Of course, the library doesn't do the research, the students do. And the cost is no longer direct, but is folded into our budget. In fact we have many more databases, as they in turn got folded into enormous aggregators like EBSCO and ProQuest.

Currently we're looking at understanding what a federated database search tool would do for our students. It would mean you'd enter one keyword search and the search would be conducted across all of our subscription databases, rather than having to hop from one to another. Kind of like a google for the library.

Well, we are also looking at a trial for some new databases from Thompson-Gale:

Associations Unlimited
Biography and Genealogy Master Index
Biography Resource Center
Book Review Index Online Plus *
Business & Company Resource Center
Consulta (Spanish language)
Corbis Images for Education
Discovering Collection
Eighteenth Century Collections Online
Gale Virtual Reference Library (with xrefer plus)
Health & Wellness Resource Center
History Resource Center — U.S.
History Resource Center — World
Informe (Spanish language)
InfoTrac OneFile
InfoTrac Religion & Philosophy
Junior Reference Collection
Kids InfoBits
LegalTrac
Literature Resource Center
LitFinder *
Military and Intelligence Database
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center
Science Resource Center *
Student Resource Center
Testing & Education Reference Center
The Making of Modern Law *
Times Digital Archive
WEB FEET *
What Do I Read Next?
*Added to this year's collection

See if there's anything you like... but if you are in database overload, just wait a few months and I'll see what I can do for you.

Micaela