LibGuides: ENGL 01A Gonzalez: Databases for Getting Started

About Library Databases

The Merced College Library has 70 databases.
In 2022-2023, the library spent $190,000 to give you access to content that is behind paywalls.
Most scholarly content costs money, but some popular content also costs money.
Some databases focus on specific types of sources, while some have a mixture of sources.
Some databases are multidisciplinary, while others may be specific to a certain field of study.
You can think of databases as being very similar to video streaming platforms--they don't all have the same content, and they also require a subscription.

Databases 101: What is a Library Database?

"Databases 101: What is a Library Database?" (1:52) by Pollak Library eLearning is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Recommended Databases for Getting Started

OneSearch (ExLibris) This link opens in a new window
Search for the library's print books, eBooks, online and hardcopy journals, magazines, newspapers, and more.

EBSCO eBook Collection
This database has both reference and scholarly eBooks provided through the brand EBSCOhost. Some of the books allow for unlimited numbers of students to have them open at a time, while others may only allow 1 or 3 users at a time. If the eBook you open is for limited users and reaches max capacity, you will receive a message that says the eBook is "in use."

Encyclopedia Britannica (Britannica)
Regarded as the most scholarly of encyclopedias, the Encyclopedia Britannica provides access to hundreds or scholarly articles in multiple categories and subjects.
Gale Ebooks (GALE)
Specialized academic and encyclopedic material: find academic articles and definitions. Excellent beginning resource. Find the Career Information Center here!
Salem Press (Grey House)
Salem E-books are electronic versions of print reference books held in the Merced College Library.

New York Times (NYT)
With NYTimes.com Passes, you have full access to the extensive breaking news, world news, and multimedia of The New York Times without needing your own subscription. Enjoy full access to NYTimes.com, INYT.com and NYT mobile apps from any device. Once activated from within your participating institution’s network, NYTimes.com Passes can be used from any location until expiration.
First time users will need to create a login using their student email and credentials. Once created you may access the NYTimes content for one year before renewing the Pass.
Newsbank (Access World News)
Electronic editions of record of newspapers, many in California, for valuable local, regional, and national U.S. newspapers--all in one easy-to-search database-- providingunique coverage of local and regional news, including companies, politics, sports, industries, cultural activities, and people in the community. Paid ads are excluded.

SIRS Researcher (PROQUEST)
Pro vs. Con on leading issuesprovides magazine, newspaper and government documents organized by topic.

Academic One File (Gale)
Peer-reviewed, full-text articles from the world's leading journals and reference sources. Extensive coverage of the sciences, technology, medicine, the arts, theology, literature and other subjects - authoritative and comprehensive.
Academic Search Complete (EBSCO)
Multi-disciplinary database providing full text for more than 4,600 journals, including peer-reviewed full text for nearly 3,900 journals.
MasterFILE Complete (EBSCO)
Designed for public libraries, provides full text for nearly 1,700 general reference publications dating back as far as 1975 covering nearly every subject area. Also contains full text for nearly 500 reference books and over 164,000 primary source documents and over 500,000 images.
OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson)
Provides full text access toEducation;General Science,Humanities,Readers' Guide,Social Sciences,Wilson Business.Contains the full text from ONLY the journals in selected databases to which Wilson has full text rights:Applied Science & Technology Full Text; Art Full Text; Biological & Agricultural Index Plus; Index to Legal Periodicals Full Text; Library Literature & Information Science Full Text.

Database Tutorials

Using OneSearch Tutorial
This interactive Merced College Library tutorial will help you use filters to specify the kind of source you are interested in; find locations for physical items, including books & textbooks; request textbook chapters to be scanned and emailed to you; request pick up of physical items, such as books & DVDs; sign into your OneSearch account to renew items; find & access full-text articles; and describe the advantages and disadvantages of using OneSearch vs. a subject-specific database.

"Britannica Online" (5:17; video clip starts at 1:01) is by Diablo Valley College Library

"An Introduction to Gale Ebooks" (5:15; video clip starts at 2:11) is by PCC Library is licensed under CC BY 4.0

"Salem Press - Search Walk-Through" (2:52) by Lincoln Land Community College Library is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

"Searching EBSCO eBooks Tutorial" (1:26) is by EBSCO Tutorials

"Reading EBSCO eBooks - Tutorial" (2:59) is by EBSCO Tutorials

New York Times
Guide to logging into NYTimes full access database, mobile app, and New York Times in Education.

"Using SIRS Researcher" by Missouri State University Libraries (1:52).

"Introduction to EBSCOhost - Tutorial" (4:08) by EBSCO Tutorials

EBSCOhost provides a number of databases, and most work in the way the video shows. However, there may be different filters to narrow your results between the databases provided by EBSCOhost.