Your Library Online
By Janet Rubenking
February 17, 2004
You've probably visited your public library's Web site to see whether it has a particular book in stock, but you may not realize that library Web sites offer free and easy access to an incredible array of online reference materials that would otherwise be too expensive or otherwise inaccessible to most of us. You can track down a biography of Ludwik Lazar Zamenhof, see the great paintings of Paul Klee, research businesses, or take practice tests to see whether you're ready for the big exam—all from the comfort of your home PC. While many of these references have a decidedly academic feel to them, they provide more and better information than the free Web resources we're used to, such as Google, InfoSpace, and KartOO. The databases are collections of carefully selected material, thereby reducing the clutter of irrelevant results being included because they share some of the same keywords. And since the databases are supplied by services dedicated to their upkeep, you can expect the information in those databases to be more accurate.
Where Do I Start?
Your typical library Web page has links to its OPAC (online public access catalog), library hours and services, librarians' favorite Web links, a list of pages designed for children and their homework needs, and a link to articles and databases. The articles and databases are your keys to up-to-date and archived newspaper and journal articles, reference material (such as encyclopedias and almanacs), indexes with abstracts and citations, testing and learning materials, career guidance, and much more. Large metropolitan libraries offer a greater variety of resources, but even the smallest libraries offer one or two comprehensive databases. If you are lucky enough to live in a state with a public-library consortium, residents anywhere in the state have access to the same subscription databases. The Michigan eLibrary (MeL) is one such resource. To find a library near you, visit the Library of Congress State Libraries listings (www.loc.gov/global/library/statelib.html). Many state libraries have local directories for their library networks.
Remote Resources
A large percentage of the databases are available through remote access, though there may be restrictions on some. Depending on the library, you can sign on using your library card number, password/PIN code, ZIP code, driver's license number, or state ID at the home page.
There's a dizzying array of databases available, and your library probably classifies them by subjects such as arts and humanities, business, science, and education. There are basically three types of formats, though there is some overlap among the resources: Full-text databases have complete articles from magazines, journals, and newspapers. Indexed databases contain abstracts and citations from books, journals, magazines, and reference books. Reference databases offer dictionary- and encyclopedia-type sketches.
Most of the databases have tools to save searches, make lists, and print or e-mail articles and citations. For students, the automatic citations generated from marked lists of articles save hours of tedious formatting. The larger databases feature powerful search mechanisms, so check out the help files for instructions. All the databases are updated periodically, some as frequently as several times a day. The following databases are just a few of the common resources available through most libraries.
Gale/Thomson's InfoTrac Databases. The InfoTrac Databases are some of the oldest and most common databases around. They offer a variety of resources such as Literature Resource Center, Associations Unlimited, and Business and Company Resource, and most libraries subscribe to one or more. Once you enter one of the databases, you can navigate to others without having to log on again. One of InfoTrac's featured tools is InfoMarks. An InfoMark at the top of the page indicates that the URL for the page is persistent and can be saved to your Favorites list for future reference. InfoMarks can be shared with other Gale database users, and they can be copied and pasted into word processing documents, e-mails, and Web pages. Each time a saved search is executed, it accesses the most updated information.
Many libraries offer InfoTrac's Biography and Genealogy Master Index and the Biography Resource Center. The Biography and Genealogy Master Index covers 13.6 million biographical sketches from numerous sources, such as dictionaries, Marquis Who's Who, subject encyclopedias, and volumes of literary criticism. It indexes sources with multiple biographical sketches rather than articles. Gale adds 300,000 new citations with each update, which takes place twice a year.
For full-text biographical information, use the Biography Resource Center, which contains information on almost 315,000 people throughout history and various disciplines. Here there are biographical narratives, thumbnail sketches, Marquis Who's Who entries, and magazine articles pulled from several respected sources. You'll find images and up-to-date reporting from magazines. There is also a research guide to conducting successful biographical research.
Ebscohost Research Databases. The Ebscohost Web of databases provides one easy-to-use tool that lets you search across multiple sources and disciplines. Among the many sources available are Masterfile Premier, with over 1,950 general reference publications; Newspaper Source, with full-text articles from 200 regional newspapers; Primary Search, with more than 60 magazines for elementary school searches; HAPI (the Hispanic American Periodical Index); and much more. Here you can save articles and citations, create a personal account, mark your search results, and add them to your folder. Other tools include citation generation, search alerts, and journal alerts.
Oxford University Press' Grove Art Online and Grove Music Online. Grove Art Online features the full text of all 34 volumes of the 1996 Grove Dictionary of Art, with annual additions of new material and updates to original entries. There are over 45,000 articles on the visual arts, 500,000 bibliographical citations, more than 40,000 links to images in galleries, libraries, and museums on the Internet, as well as over 100,000 images from the Bridgeman Art Library.
Grove Music Online represents an integration of the 29 volumes of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (second edition), the New Grove Dictionary of Opera, and the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (second edition). It includes biographies, articles, illustrations, sounds, and links. This database includes the new Listening to Grove, with music samples you can listen to with Sibelius's Scorch plug-in.
infoUSA's Reference USA. Reference USA contains detailed information on more than 12 million U.S. businesses, 102 million U.S. residents, and health-care providers. The database also contains information on Canadian businesses and residents (compiled from white and yellow pages); SEC information; federal, state, and municipal data; and numerous directories, trade journals, and newspapers. You can download data on businesses including name, address, phone number, number of employees, principals' names, sales figures, credit ratings, and more.
Mergent Online. Mergent Online offers the same detailed company analysis as its print series, but the online version lets you create and customize multiple company reports. You'll find business descriptions, histories, properties, subsidiaries, officers, and financial statements "as reported." The content includes company information and annual reports from organizations in the U.S. and abroad. A report can include financial highlights, profitability ratios, debt management, asset management, stock price, and valuation figures.
Learning Express Library. Learning Express Library (formerly Learn a Test) is a testing resource spanning multiple disciplines and age levels. It offers practice tests for nearly every academic group (from fourth grade and up) and trade groups. There are tests for basic skills in reading, writing, and math, as well as civil service tests, college preparation, graduate school entrance, military, real estate, and much more. Each test includes associated sections, such as reading comprehension, math, and practice tests.
Ebscohost's Searchasaurus and Gale/Thomson's InfoTrac Kids Edition. These kid-friendly reference databases contain magazine and journal articles as well as basic encyclopedia and dictionary resources. Their uncluttered interfaces, fun graphics, and easy search and topic links make navigation simple for children.
Use It or Lose It
Libraries spend your tax dollars to provide the best information available. In these troubled budgetary times, librarians carefully track database usage and, regretfully, cut useful resources when money is lacking. It's time to rediscover the library and boost those usage numbers. Become a member and don't forget to visit your library in person, too.
Janet Rubenking works in technical services at the Sheilds Library, University of California-Davis.
fr.: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1463177,00.asp
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