MONT 199Q-S02: Looking Forward (Camarda)

What is a database?

The library provides access to different databases, which are online resources that collect and organize information from different sources. They may include articles from academic journals, magazines, and newspapers; general information sources like encyclopedias or dictionaries; and information about print books or access to e-books. Databases tag their information with subject terms and keywords to make it easier to conduct complex searches to find specific information. You can find the databases available through the Holy Cross Libraries on our A-Z Databases List.

Different databases collect different types of information. They can be described as general or subject databases.

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 "All Subjects," select "*General*." You will see a list of general databases, with some highlighted as "Best Bets." Some general databases are listed below.

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. Subject databases are also a good place to look if your topic is something that relates to a variety of academic disciplines, but you only want to focus on one. For example, “mercury” can refer to a chemical element, a Roman god, a planet, a car brand, or the last name of a famous singer. If you’re researching mercury levels in fish and search in a general database, you may find results about all of these other topics. To conduct a more effective search, you might try looking in databases specific to Biology or Environmental Studies. 

To find subject databases available at Holy Cross, go to the A-Z Database list and use the drop down menu to select a subject.

Newspaper and Magazine Databases

The Library subscribes to over 300 databases to give you access to a variety of resources. Many of these databases include newspapers and magazines, from historical publications to current publications. To see a list of newspaper and magazine databases, visit the A-Z Database List. Click on the "Types" dropdown menu and select "Newspapers & Magazines," then click search. The list will filter to show all newspaper and magazine databases, with descriptions of their content and the time period they cover.

These vary from databases that include single publications (such as the Worcester Telegram & Gazette Current, which includes articles published in the Worcester T&G from 1989-present) and collections of multiple publications (such as U.S. Newsstream, which includes current and historic articles from a number of national newspapers).

News Subscriptions

Holy Cross students, faculty, and staff are provided with subscriptions to some news sources outside of library databases. These subscriptions allow you to create an account and access the regular site for that publication instead of going through a library database.

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

CrossSearch looks in many different places and for many different types of sources. In one search, you might find 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 find 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 (www.holycross.edu/academics/libraries).

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.

You can download a map of the Dinand Library stacks below.