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Library Orientation: Databases

The pages of this guide identify ways to get help using the Library and its resources

A library database is a searchable electronic index of published, reliable resources. Databases provide access to a wealth of useful research materials from academic journals, newspapers, and magazines. Some databases also include e-books, relevant Web resources, and various multimedia.  

The Alma Jordan Library subscribes to a number of databases.  Most of the content housed in these database can be found via a search of the UWIlinC portal. If you prefer going to a favourite database directly, you can also browse through our Databases A-Z .

Please remember that this is licensed content that only registered students and staff of the campus can access. On campus access is automatic, but if you want to access these resources remotely, you will be required to login/authenticate. Your login credentials used to access your my.uwi.edu student portal and MyElearning will also work to gain you access to the library resources 24/7.  To login for remote access, the screen will display the following window.

UWIlinC remote login

Our thanks to Yavapai Community College for producing this video, and sharing it as an open educational resource (OER)

Searching a Database

Database Searching Tips

  • LOOK AT THE WHOLE SCREEN FIRST. Before you start searching in an unfamiliar database, look at the whole search screen first. What search tools are available to you? Are there check boxes, limiters, subject headings, indexes, a link to get help?
  • KEEP IT SIMPLE. Search with only the most necessary keywords from your topic and don't use all of them at once. Example (keywords in italics): What are the effects of global warming on the animals in the Caribbean?  You might want to get more specific and search for:  climate change, wildlife, Jamaica. 
  • FIND A FEW (2-3) RELEVANT ARTICLES. You don't need to start with 20 articles; find a couple of very relevant ones and read those first. You may discover other topics, authors or references or you may decide to change your topic.
  • SEARCH USING SUBJECT HEADINGS.  Browse a database’s Thesaurus or list of Subject Terms to find subject headings relevant to your topic OR use a subject heading link in an article record to search for more articles with that heading. 

Let Boolean Logic Work for You

Boolean Searching

 

The Boolean operators OR AND NOT (also called logical operators) are used to combine search terms.

OR will retrieve records with any of your search terms. folklore OR Trinidad retrieves records in which either word appears

AND will retrieve records with all of your search terms. folklore AND Trinidad retrieves records in which both words appear

NOT is used to exclude terms. folklore NOT Trinidad retrieves records in which the word 'folklore' appears but the word 'Trinidad' does not

When more than one boolean operator is used in a single search string, use parentheses to establish the order in which the searches are combined and executed. Searches enclosed in parentheses are executed first.

To search for either 'women' or 'gender' in 'Grenada', enter (women or gender) and grenada. Compare women or (gender and grenada).

To search for either 'women' or 'gender' in either 'Grenada' or 'Antigua', enter (women or gender) and (grenada or antigua)

Challenge yourself

Locate the Databases A-Z listing on the Library's website and find a database that might be relevant to your area of study.