Types of Resources

Reference Books

General encyclopedias, specific handbooks and other reference sources may contain an overview of a topic.  They may reflect the amount of material available and help you limit the scope of the project.  This is an excellent starting point.

Books

• The online catalog is an index of MJI’s physical  holdings.

Periodicals

• MJI subscribes to several quality subject area specific magazines.  Periodicals are for in-library use only.

Online Databases and Journals

• MJI subscribes to many online databases that provide complete text of over 5,000 magazines and journals.  These resources do not count as an internet resource.  Many of the online databases are searchable by keyword and subject.  Issued login required.

Searching Databases

• A database is a searchable, organized collection of information. Library databases are great tools for finding articles on specific topics because:
•  You can access and search them on the Internet, from the library’s website.
• They cover a wide range of topics.
• They are structured for finding information more precisely than online search engines.
• They offer citations to articles on topics related to your research needs.
• They index articles published in magazines, scholarly journals, newspapers, etc.
• They often contain links to the full text of the articles.
• While databases have different designs, most offer similar capabilities, and the skills you use to search one may be applied to others. When choosing a database, consider the following:
• Subject: Many databases specialize in a particular subject while others are more general and cover a wider range of topics.
• Types of publications covered:  Some databases cover only periodical articles, while others may index books, government documents, conference proceedings, essays, etc.  
• Coverage dates: Some databases do not cover years before the 1970s; some index only more recent publications. Read the database descriptions to determine the years of coverage.

 See quick video with tips for searching in online databases.