Much of the online content available through the library comes from something called "databases." These databases most often contain articles from academic journals and other periodicals, but may also include ebooks, reports, videos, or other content. The databases are compiled by third-party vendors who negotiate with various publishers to make publishers' content available in a single place online. Most databases focus on a particular subject area, though some include content across a wide variety of subjects.
Libraries purchase licenses for particular databases so that the content can be accessed by their users. All database content licensed by Hiebert Library may be accessed through the library's discovery service. Users do not need to know which databases we have or specifically select them in order to access the content from them.
Most of Hiebert Library's databases are licensed through EBSCOhost and JSTOR. It is important to understand that neither of these are a single database, but rather are companies that compile many different databases. We have licenses for some EBSCOhost or JSTOR databases, but not nearly all of them.
While most content in databases is available in full text, some might include only citations for particular articles. This is due to limitations placed on the database providers by publishers. The database will tell about the the existence of such items but you may need to request them through inter-library loan.
As mentioned before, all database content licensed by Hiebert Library can be searched automatically simply by entering search terms into the library's discovery service. You don't need to tell the discovery service which databases you want to search, since its default position is to search them all at once, along with all other library resources. We generally recommend that users simply accept this default, since it provides the most results for any particular search.
Sometimes, however, there may be a reason to limit your search to one database. You may have discovered that a particular database provides the most relevant content for your purpose and you don't want your results cluttered with content from other databases. In a few cases particular databases provide more sophisticated search options than what is available through the discovery service. We'll describe those in the next section.
There are two ways to access individual databases, one that can be done before starting your search, and another that can be done after a search.
To select a database before starting your search, click on the Resources tab near the top of the library's home page and then select A-Z Database List from the drop-down menu. You can also simply click here to open the list. Click on any of the databases on that list to access its dedicated search page.
If you've already done a search in the discovery service, you can use the Database Finder. It will be on the right side of the screen if you're using a wide screen, or near the top of your screen on a small device. Either way, click to select a database from the list and then click Go. Keep in mind that your original search terms will not be remembered and you will need to re-enter them when directed to the new page.
The following databases have particularly important search functionality not otherwise available through the general discovery service, which may help you find the exact resource you need.