What is a database?
Answer
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a database is define as "a usually large collection of data organized especially for rapid search and retrieval (as by a computer)." If you've ever searched in Amazon or Google, you've searched in a database. Some databases how extremely vast and varied information, like Amazon. Other databases have a very specific collection of information.
The A&M-Victoria Library has over 190 databases for research use. Many of them are "bibliographic databases". A bibliographic database is an organized collection of references to published works, such as journal articles, books, and conference proceedings. Most of our databases are full-text, providing not only information about an entry, but also the whole article for use. They provide:
- Scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles
- Articles from other sources like magazines or newspapers
- Images and other media
- and sometimes, ebooks
Some databases are discipline specific, for instance, Medline Complete is focused on medicine. Another one, Education Source, is focused on published literature in education and teaching.
Visit the A-Z Online Resources page for an alphabetical list of our databases or select databases by subjects and/or types.