Selecting a Relevant Database: Databases are an important research tool. The GSLIS Collection home page provides several tools for helping you to decide which database to search.

What is a Database?

A database, or index, is defined in the Librarian's Glossary as: "A detailed alphabetical list of tables of topics, names of persons, places, etc., treated or mentioned in a book or series of books, pointing out their exact positions in the volume, usually by page number...but often by section, or entry number."*

Basically, an index is a tool used to locate information. There are different types of indexes. One example is an index like those typically found in the back of a book: it tells you where to find certain words in the book. Another example is a periodical index such as the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. Periodical indexes come in a variety of forms, such as print, online, or CD-ROM. When a periodical index is placed online, it is usually referred to as a bibliographic database.

Databases available at Simmons

Beatley Library provides access to more than 120 online databases, covering many subject fields. These databases can be accessed through the Library's website from any computer on the Simmons campus, and most can be accessed remotely if you login with your Simmons username and password.

The Library's collection includes several library-related databases. In the next several pages, we will look closely at three of them: LISA (Library and Information Science Abstracts), Library Literature, and LISTA (Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts).

How do you Use Databases?

Looking at the GSLIS Collection home page, the amount of databases listed in the "All GSLIS e-Resources" drop-down menu can be overwhelming. The reality is that the majority of the approximately 120 databases on the list are produced by just a few vendors: Wilson, OCLC, ProQuest, Gale, CSA, EBSCO and Bowker. This means that if you familiarize yourself with one database from each of these vendors, you will be able to search almost all of them with confidence.

Like the OPAC, once you feel comfortable with the basic search strategies and techniques in one database interface, you will be able to adapt quickly to new interfaces. Database vendors are constantly changing the look of their products and adding enhancements, so you will need to be flexible and expect familiar interfaces to change. Fortunately, almost all databases share common elements: search boxes that allow you to search your terms in a variety of fields, the use of Boolean operators and truncation, and a choice of basic or advanced searching interfaces.

Where do I begin?

With so many different databases to choose from, how will you know which ones index the materials that on your particular topic? On the next page, Selecting a Relevant Database, we will look at some of the helpful resources provided by the GSLIS Collection.

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*Citation
1 Prytherch, Ray, Harrod's Librarians' Glossary and Reference Handbook (Brookfield: Ashgate, 2000), p. 366.
2 Ibid, p. 564.

The GSLIS Collection Home Page

The GSLIS Collection home page is a good starting point when you are conducting research. It was designed specifically for the needs of GSLIS students, and provides links to helpful resources, such as the Resources by Subject list, and quick links to all LIS databases. It is located at http://my.simmons.edu/library/collections/gslis/. You can also navigate to it from the Library home page: click on the "Collections" tab, then click the Library & Information Science (GSLIS) link.

Resources by subject

When choosing a database to begin your research, it might be helpful to view the Resources by Subject list, which is hyperlinked on the GSLIS Collection page.

The link takes you to the Library: Research by Subject page, where you can click "Browse by Category" to see a listing of different subject categories. A variety of subjects are listed, including Library & Information Science.

If you click on the Library & Information Science hyperlink, you will see that the subject is further sub-divided into Archives, Children's Literature, and a general Library Science section. The Library Science page makes a good starting point for your research. Under Finding Articles, you will see a list of databases that index materials relevant to the field. Each database title functions as a link to the database itself. Next to the title, you can click on "Info" to read more detailed information about the database: which areas of library and information science it focuses on; dates of coverage; etc. This should help you decide which databases would be most likely to contain materials relevant to your research.

Database Descriptions

For detailed information about each of the databases available to GSLIS students, select the Descriptions of all GSLIS Eresources link on the GSLIS Collections page.

Quick Links

After you have identified a database that sounds likely to contain information that will be useful to you, you can quickly and easily access the database through the drop-down menus on the GSLIS Collection page. The top drop-down menu is the Quicklist, a convenient grouping of the databases used most frequently by GSLIS students. The second menu, All GSLIS Eresources, provides links to all of our 120 databases.

Remote Access

Access to our online databases is restricted to the Simmons College community. On campus, you can access any of the resources directly. When logging in from home, or from anywhere other than the Simmons campus, you will be prompted to login with your Simmons username and password.