introduction

what is a database?

what is found in a database?

who produces databases?

how is a database searched?

when is a database used?

referenced links

quiz

Author: Beverly D. Hills, MSLS
Created: 20031007
Comments: bhills@tcc.edu

What is found in a database?

The content of a database consists of data in a searchable format. The data can be text, numbers, pictures, just about anything.

Many commercial databases provide access to magazines, journals, newspapers, scientific information, etc. Since the producer of the database has to pay for the data, commercial databases are not available for free. You have to pay to use them or visit a library which has paid a subscription fee for you.

There are some databases available for free, especially databases produced by government agencies, libraries, and scholarly associations.

Take a look at a few examples of databases available for free:

• A database of books at the Library of Congress (Search for a book by Poe)
• A database of biographies at Biography.com (Who is/was Diogenes?)
• A database of statistics at Hockey Statistics Archive (When was Bobby Orr born?)