Any word anywhere Start of Title (omit first a, an, the) Start of Magazine/Journal Title Boolean Search (use and, or, not, ?) Browse Author (last name, first name)

website

catalog

UNDERGRADUATE LIBRARY

217.333.3477 | 1402 West Gregory | Urbana, IL 61801

Quick Links

• Ask A Librarian
• My Account
• UIUC Catalog
• Online Research Resources
• Library Hours/Locations
• Interlibrary Loan
• Question Board

How databases and online catalogs differ

Periodical Databases Used to locate individual articles. Provide information about individual items contained in larger sources, such as an article in a magazine.

Online Catalogs Used to locate periodical titles that contain individual articles. Provide information about resources owned by a particular institution.

Although there are many similarities between databases and online catalogs - in both their functionality and use as research tools - it is necessary to understand their differences to effectively use them. Technically both are electronic databases - collections of information in electronic format that are organized in a manner to allow for retrieval of information about each item included.

Databases

• What are databases?

Databases are collections of computer records that have a common format and content, organized for rapid search and retrieval. The databases used in libraries for information retrieval most often provide information about sources found in periodicals - magazines, journals, and newspapers.

• Why use a database?

Using a database allows you to search for information in an organized collection. As a user you benefit from this organization because it provides more relevant results through the use of subject headings and descriptors. You may also search for keywords in specific fields, such as author and title, and limit their results using various criteria.

Databases also provide information in known sources, for example, printed magazines and journals. The content of databases has undergone a review process and the information is more reliable than information found on the Internet. Often databases provide access to full-text magazine and journal articles.

• What are some examples of databases?

Examples of databases are available from Articles link in the Find section of the Undergraduate Library page. A more comprehensive list of databases can be found on the Online Research Resources page. Samples of databases include Academic Search Premier, Expanded Academic, ERIC, and Psyc Info.

Online Library Catalog

• What is a library catalog?

A library catalog provides information describing resources owned by a specific library. UIUC's Online Library Catalog provides access to the collections of library materials owned by the University Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. These include books, journal, magazines, newspapers, video recordings, sound recordings, music scores, maps, and government documents.

• Why use a library catalog?

Use a library catalog to find items the library owns, where they are located, and their availability status. For assistance in using the UIUC Online Library Catalog there are a number of guides available for conducting various searches.

• What catalogs are available to use?

Access to numerous library catalogs, in addition to the UIUC Online Library Catalog, are provided to you by the library. These include Specialized UIUC Catalogs and a selection of Off Campus Catalogs. The Library Catalogs page provides both descriptive information and links to these catalogs.

Updated: 1/03/2007
SKA