Find Articles: Library Databases
About Databases
A database is a collection of information that is arranged and tagged for easy searching and retrieval. Think of a database like an online storage container: It stores different publications, journals, books, magazines, and newspapers and makes it possible for you to access them. The library subscribes to over 300 databases that are available for Holy Cross students to use. Visit our A-Z Databases list to see what is available.
If you are looking for scholarly sources like journal articles, a database will be a good place to look.
Subject Databases
Subject databases include journals and publications from a specific academic field. They may include a number of different publications, but they are all within the same academic area. These can be helpful if you want to look at one specific subject or field.
To find subject databases, go to the A-Z Database List. In the dropdown menu labeled "Subjects," select your subject area and click "Search." Some Literature databases are listed below.
- MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
Journal articles, books and dissertations focusing on literature and literary criticism, language, and publishing.
- Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new window
Journal articles, literary magazines, essays, biographies, and other sources focused on authors and literary movements.
General Databases
General databases include information and journals that cover many subjects and academic fields. These can be a good place to start if you’re not sure what subject your topic falls under, if your topic is interdisciplinary and falls under multiple subject areas, if you want to see perspectives from different fields about your topic, or if you simply want to find general information.
To find general databases, go to the A-Z Database List. In the dropdown menu labeled "Subjects," select "_General" and click "Search." You will see a list of general databases, with some highlighted as "Best Bets." Some general databases are listed below.
- JSTOR Arts & Sciences This link opens in a new window
Journal articles in almost every subject area, including some historical articles back to the 17th century.
- Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
Journal articles, magazines, and news in almost every subject area.
Find Books: Library Catalog
Print and Electronic Books in the Library
Use the Library Catalog to find print books, print journals, and ebooks in the library's collection. Access the Library Catalog search through the library home page (https://www.holycross.edu/library). Above the search bar, select "Library Catalog." To use more advanced searching options, click on the "My Library Account" link below the search bar to go directly to the catalog, where you can search by keyword, title, subject, or call number.
Books on the shelves are organized by call number. A call number is an address for a book that tells you where the book is located on the shelf. Call numbers identify different subject areas, so books with similar call numbers will cover similar subjects. This way, when you find a book on the shelf, you know the books around it are on similar topics.
When you look up a book in CrossSearch or the Library Catalog, you will see the call number listed with the book details. The handout linked below shows how to read a call number and where call numbers are located in Dinand Library.
Library Catalog Search Tips
Books and materials in the library catalog are assigned subject terms. These are specific words or phrases used to group books about the same subject together. In the Library Catalog Search, you can search for a subject or browse by subject. Use the dropdown menu next to the search bar to select "Subject."
Suggested subject terms:
| Criticism and interpretation | Literary criticism |
| African American authors | Criticism, interpretation, etc. |
| Science fiction | Speculative fiction |
Research Tip: Try combining the title or author of the work with one of the above subject terms in your search. In the Library Catalog search, click on "Advanced Search" to enter multiple search terms.
Find Articles, Books, and More: CrossSearch
CrossSearch is a one-stop search tool that lets you search most of the informational resources available through the library, including:
- Books, ebooks, archival materials, media and music scores owned by the Holy Cross Libraries.
- Research databases like Academic Search Premier, JSTOR, ARTstor and ProQuest Central.
- E-journal collections like JSTOR and ScienceDirect.
- The Holy Cross digital repository CrossWorks.
- Open Access collections such as HaithiTrust Digital Library
As you can see, CrossSearch looks in many different places and for many different types of sources. In one search, you might see results for academic journal articles, books in the library’s collection, films, newspaper articles, and more. This can be a good place to start if you want to see a broad scope of the resources available on your topic. However, because CrossSearch includes so many types of resources, you might find you need to filter these results more than you would in a more specific database.
CrossSearch is best accessed through the library home page (https://www.holycross.edu/library).
- CrossSearchFind CrossSearch on the Libraries' home page. It is the purple search box in the center of the page.