Databases

Library Catalogs

• Produced by outside publishers and sold to the library.

• Produced by the library itself.

• Provides access and describes the contents of (i.e. the articles in) a particular periodical or set of periodicals, usually periodicals in the same subject area.

• Provides access to and describes the contents of a collection — more precisely, the materials in a specific library's collection or in the collection of a specific group of libraries (i.e. URI Libraries Search).

• There is no connection between the periodicals listed and the periodicals to which any particular library subscribes.

• A library catalog provides access only to materials in the library's collection. Note that the catalog can tell you whether or not the library subscribes to a certain periodical, but may not tell you exactly what articles have appeared in the periodical. (That's why we need a database in the first place.)

• Help you identify articles on a topic

• Answers the question of whether or not the library owns the periodicals containing the articles identified

• Example: Use a database (such as Academic Search Complete) to identify an article about workplace violence in the periodical Business Week.

• Example: Use a catalog (such as the URI Libraries Search) to see whether the library subscribes to Business Week and owns the particular issue you need. Note the call number, retrieve the article from the library shelves, and photocopy it to use in your research.