What is a library database?
A database is a searchable collection of information. In library research, a database is where you find journal articles but can also include newspaper articles, books, videos, and audio files.
Each database contains thousands of articles which you can search for simultaneously and quickly to find articles with higher relevancy than searching in individual journals. Databases are highly organized and allow students to search for information on a topic by keyword, subject, author, title, and phrase. Most databases at Loyola University Chicago provide access to full-text content, which means that you will find entire articles available, not just summaries or citations of articles.
Not sure where to start your research? The interdisciplinary databases are good places to search for information on any topic, and have lots of full-text material available.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window Full-text articles from journals, magazines, and reference sources that covering a broad range of academic study.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window Full-text scholarly journal articles and ebooks related to the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Coverage: 2-5 years from current.
- OmniFile Full Text Select This link opens in a new windowFull-text articles, images, abstracts, and citations covering education, general science, humanities, social sciences, and business. Coverage: 1982 - present.
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new window Full-text journals covering literature, history, visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, and gender studies. Coverage: 1993 - present.
In the Lewis and Cudahy Libraries Reference Collections, there are many great print encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference books.
We also have many online reference (background) sources that are easy to access and easy to use. See below for some useful online resources
- Britannica Concise EncyclopediaComprehensive and engaging, the Britannica Concise Encyclopedia contains thousands of articles. The Britannica Concise Encyclopedia has comprehensive coverage on a variety of subjects including, arts, business, geography, history, literature, philosophy, politics, pop culture, science, sports, and more. With an easy-to-use format, pronunciation help, relevant tables, and international maps, this is the reference source that will be used over and over.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowArticles from reference sources such as encyclopedias and dictionaries on a variety of topics. Also includes tutorials on research basics.
- Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new windowComprehensive information on social issues with different perspectives.
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new windowComprehensive reports about current events; including social, economic, political, and environmental issues. Coverage: 1923 - present.
- AP Newsroom This link opens in a new windowPhotographs, graphics, charts, news stories, and audio clips provided by The Associated Press. International in scope. Coverage: 1826 - present.
- CQ Almanac This link opens in a new windowFull-text articles on the coverage and analysis of US congressional legislation, includes how bills are changed, derailed, or ultimately passed during an annual session of Congress. Coverage: 1945 - present.
- HRAF World Cultures This link opens in a new windowIndex of cross-cultural and ethnographic descriptive information on all aspects of cultural and social life. Collection is organized by cultures and ethnic groups.
- Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new windowMultidisciplinary collection of full-text reference ebooks.
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new windowFull-text multidisciplinary encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference titles. Limited to five simultaneous users.
- Reference Universe This link opens in a new windowMultidisciplinary index of terms from specialized encyclopedias and scholarly handbooks.
- Sage Knowledge (Sage Reference Online) This link opens in a new windowFull-text encyclopedic entries covering topics in social sciences.
Below is a list of some of the licensed video databases available at Loyola. The subject content spans a diverse range of topics, from history to performing and fine arts.
- Black Studies in Video This link opens in a new windowDocumentaries, newsreels, interviews and archival footage surveying the evolution of black culture in the United States. Includes films covering history, politics, art and culture, family structure, social and economic pressures, and gender relations.
- Kanopy Streaming Video This link opens in a new windowDocumentaries, independent and classic feature films, educational videos, and award-winning films and shorts. Distributors include PBS, Media Education Foundation, Documentary Education Resources, California Newsreel, Criterion Collection/Janus Films, Psychotherapy.net, and more.
- LGBT Studies in Video This link opens in a new windowDocumentaries, feature films, interviews, and archival footage exploring the cultural and political evolution of the LGBT community. Topics include LGBT history, gay culture and subcultures, civil rights, marriage equality, LGBT families, AIDS, transgender issues, and religious perspectives on homosexuality. Coverage: 1920s - present.
- Theatre in Video This link opens in a new windowVideos covering performances of the world's leading plays as well as documentaries on productions, experimental performances and interviews by hundreds of leading playwrights, actors and directors. Coverage: 1930s - present.
- Digital Theatre+ This link opens in a new windowTheatrical monographs, scripts, and video productions from leading theatre companies, educational institutions, and arts collectives around the world.
- Docuseek Streaming Video This link opens in a new windowDocumentary, independent, educational videos and films on a wide range of topics related to social issues, sustainability, the environment and more. Titles are available upon request. Requests should be submitted to Audio Visual services at: http://libraries.luc.edu/avpurchase.
- Films on Demand This link opens in a new windowVideos covering a wide range of academic, vocational and life-skills topics. Titles are available upon request. Requests should be submitted to Audio Visual services at: http://libraries.luc.edu/avpurchase.
- Alexander Street Press Streaming Video This link opens in a new window Videos and audio covering a wide variety of subjects. Individual collections include Black Studies in Video, Black Thought & Culture, Counseling and Therapy in Video: Vols.1-3, Criminal Justice and Public Safety in Video, Ethnographic Video Online :Vols.1-2, Filmmakers Library Online: Vols.1-2, LGBT Studies in Video, New World Cinema: Major Independent Features and Shorts, Nursing Education in Video, and Theatre in Video: Vol.2.
For a complete list check out the Online Video Resources Library Guide!
- Hoonuit (Formerly Known as Atomic Learning)An online, on demand, training site that offers over 50,000 tutorial videos on over 250 technology applications, including Microsoft and Adobe. Topics are subdivided into very small chunks, and presented in videos of one or two minutes, so learners can easily and quickly find the training they need on specific topics.
- EBSCO database tutorialsEBSCO provides LUC libraries with access to Academic Search Complete, Alternative Press Index, America: History and Life, Anthropology Plus, ATLA Religion Index with ATLA Serials, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, CINAHL Plus with Full-text, Criminal Justice Abstracts, Education Research Complete, Educational Administration Abstracts, ERIC Via Ebsco, Index Islamicus, Reader's Guide Retrospective, Social Work Abstracts, Wilson OmniFile Full-Text Select, and Women's Studies International.
- OVID SP database tutorialsOVID provides LUC libraries with access to PsycInfo, Medline, OldMedline, Books (selected by LUC), Full Text Journals (selected by LUC), Joanna Brigs Institute EBP, ACP Journal, the EBM Reviews databases, Biological Abstracts, ERIC, Health and Psychosocial Instruments, Nursing, PsycCritiques, and OVID Table of Contents.
- Proquest database tutorialsProquest provides LUC Libraries with access to ABI/Inform, American Periodicals (1740-1940), Chicago Tribune (1985-current), Dissertations and Theses, ebrary, Environmental Abstracts, ERIC, GenderWatch, MLA International Bibliography, Civil War Era, Historical Newspapers (Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, New York Times), Newsstand, Social Services Abstract, Sociological Abstracts, Vogue Archive and Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. This link is to the Proquest Training channel on Youtube.
- Vital Speeches of the Day Vital Speeches of the Day is a monthly collection of the best speeches in the world. It’s also a lot more than that. The magazine was launched in 1934 on the old-fashioned premise that “it is indeed vital to the welfare of the nation that important, constructive addresses by recognized leaders in both the public and private sectors be permanently recorded and disseminated—both to ensure that readers gain a sound knowledge of public questions and to provide models of excellence in contemporary oratory.”
- Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text This link opens in a new windowIndex of abstracts, ebooks, and full-text articles related to film, television, and media. Coverage: 1976 - present.
- Communication & Mass Media Complete This link opens in a new windowArticles on communication and mass media from scholarly journals. Coverage: 1900 - present.
- ComAbstracts via CIOS This link opens in a new windowAbstracts of articles on communication and journalism from scholarly journals. Coverage: 1915 - present.
- Meltwater This link opens in a new window
Social media monitoring and engagement software. Search by keyword through Tweets, Reddit, Instagram and Facebook posts to create instant dashboards and follow trending issues over time. Limited to 4 concurrent users. Create an account for access using your Loyola ID.
- Education Research Complete This link opens in a new window Full-text articles and conference papers covering education research from early childhood to higher education for all educational specialties. Coverage: 1880 - present.
- Education Index Retrospective This link opens in a new window Full-text and abstracts for historical education periodicals, and selected books and annuals. Coverage: 1929 - 1983.
- ERIC via EBSCO This link opens in a new window Abstracts and full text articles, reports, curriculum, conference papers, dissertations and theses, and books. Coverage: 1966 - present.
- Philosopher's Index This link opens in a new window Index, including abstracts and some full-text, of books and journals related to philosophy and ethics. Coverage: 1940 - present.
- PhilPapers This link opens in a new window Index, including abstracts and some full-text, of journals, books, and personal pages related to philosophy and ethics.
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Organizes scholars from around the world in philosophy and related disciplines to create and maintain an up-to-date reference work.
- Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Cudahy Ref B 51 .R68 1998 ; Lewis Ref B 51 .R68 1998 (Print) Online version of the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new window Full-text multidisciplinary encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference titles. Limited to five simultaneous users.
- Oxford Bibliographies Online: Philosophy Provide introductory essays and extended, authoritative reference lists on diverse topics; ideal for identifying and narrowing a research topic and identifying suitable sources for research. Select from the subject modules listed below.
- Art Full Text This link opens in a new window Index of international abstracts and full text articles related to fine art. Coverage: 1984 - present.
- Art Index Retrospective This link opens in a new window Index of citations from international publications on fine art. Cited materials include periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins. Coverage: 1929 – 1984
- Arts and Humanities Citation Index This link opens in a new window Multidisciplinary index covering arts and humanities. Coverage: 1980 - present.
- ARTstor This link opens in a new window Digitized images of fine art from around the world. All images can be freely used for educational and noncommercial scholarly purposes.
- Humanities and Social Sciences Retrospective This link opens in a new window Index of scholarly journals covering humanities and social sciences. Coverage: 1907 - 1984.
- Index of Medieval Art This link opens in a new window Index of images related to fine art, history, and medieval studies. Coverage: Apostolic times - 1400s AD
- New York Review of Books This link opens in a new window Full-text collection of the New York Review of Books, a biweekly magazine on literature, culture, and current affairs. Includes book reviews. Coverage: 1963 - present.
- Oxford Art Online (formerly Grove) This link opens in a new window High-resolution images of global fine art that can be downloaded and freely used for educational purposes. Access On-Campus or through Loyola's proxy network.
- Web Gallery of Art This link opens in a new window Searchable database of images related to European fine arts and architecture. Coverage: 3rd - 19th centuries
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window Articles on business, management, marketing, economics from scholarly journals, magazines, and trade publications. Includes the full-text of the Harvard Business Review. Also includes company profiles, investment, country reports, SWOT analyses, and more. Coverage: 1820 - present.
- MarketLine This link opens in a new window Company profiles, industry reports, and case studies. Also includes city and country reports using PEST/PESTLE standard analysis framework.
- Mergent Online This link opens in a new window Access to comprehensive company information and data for U.S. and International public and private companies. Includes: company financials, SEC filings, current and historical annual reports, stock information, executive information, company history, competitors, and company news. Coverage: Historical data is available for the past 15 years. Limited to 3 concurrent users.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window Full-text articles on news, business, and legal sources, radio and television transcripts, federal and state court cases, U.S. Supreme Court decisions, and law reviews. Coverage: 1790 - present.
- Criminal Justice Abstracts This link opens in a new window Full-text articles covering criminal law, corrections, policing, forensics, and other essential areas related to criminal justice and criminology. Coverage: 1910 - present.
- Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new window Abstracts and indexes from international journals in sociology, social psychology, and behavioral sciences. Coverage: 1952 - current.
- Social Science Citation Index This link opens in a new window Multidisciplinary index of social science journals. Coverage: 1980 - present.
- PsycArticles This link opens in a new window Full-text articles from journals covering general psychology and specialized basic, applied, clinical, and theoretical research in psychology. Coverage: 1894 - present.
- PsycBooks This link opens in a new window Full-text ebooks published by APA, as well as historical and classic works from the behavioral and social sciences. Coverage: 1597 - present.
- PsycINFO This link opens in a new window Indexes literature in the field of psychology and psychological aspects of related disciplines, such as medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, anthropology, business, and law. Updated weekly. Coverage: 1800s - present.
- Historical Abstracts This link opens in a new window Index with some full-text and abstracts covering world history, excluding the United States and Canada. Coverage: 1450 - present. Limited to 6 simultaneous users.
- America: History and Life This link opens in a new window Index, abstracts and some full-text on the history of the United States and Canada. Coverage: 1960 - present. Limited to 6 simultaneous users.
- Annee Philologique, L' (Brepols) This link opens in a new window Index with abstracts and some full-text covering philosophy, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, mythology, and literature. Coverage: 1949 - 2004.
- Early American Imprints This link opens in a new window Full-text primary sources about life in 17th and 18th century America. Coverage: 1639 - 1819.
- Humanities and Social Sciences Retrospective This link opens in a new window Index of scholarly journals covering humanities and social sciences. Coverage: 1907 - 1984.
- Index Islamicus This link opens in a new window Index of literature on Islam, the Middle East, and the Muslim world. Coverage: 1906 - present.
- Oxford Bibliographies Online: Classics This link opens in a new window Bibliographies focused on Classical Studies.
- ProQuest Civil War Era This link opens in a new window Full-text primary sources covering the American Civil War period. Includes eight regional newspapers and pamphlets. Coverage: 1840 - 1861.
- Sabin Americana, 1500-1926 This link opens in a new window Full-text primary sources, books, and articles related to the history of the Americas based on Joseph Sabin's landmark bibliography. Coverage: 1500 - 1926.
- United States Code The United States Code is the codification by subject matter of the general and permanent laws of the United States. It is divided by broad subjects into 53 titles and published by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. Code was first published in 1926. The next main edition was published in 1934, and subsequent main editions have been published every six years since 1934. In between editions, annual cumulative supplements are published in order to present the most current information.
- GovInfo GovInfo is a service of the United States Government Publishing Office (GPO), which provides free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.
- Public Papers of the Presidents (NARA) Compiled and published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration, began in 1957 in response to a recommendation of the National Historical Publications Commission.
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new window Full-text of historical and government documents in a searchable, image-based format. Includes law journals and historical collections of U.S. federal government documents. Coverage: 1925 - present.
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window Full-text archive of the Congressional Record, Annals of Congress, the Register of Debates, and the Congressional Globe. Coverage: 1789 - present.
- ProQuest Legislative Insight This link opens in a new window Archive of public law from its early consideration to its enactment, including development that spans more than one Congress. Coverage: 1789 - present.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window Full-text articles on news, business, and legal sources, radio and television transcripts, federal and state court cases, U.S. Supreme Court decisions, and law reviews. Coverage: 1790 - present.
- Web of Science This link opens in a new window Multidisciplinary index of scholarly journals with citations. Coverage: 1980 - present. Limited to five simultaneous users.
- Science Direct (Elsevier) This link opens in a new window ScienceDirect offers more than a quarter of the world's scientific, medical and technical information online. Over 2,000 peer-reviewed journals, as well as hundreds of book series, handbooks and reference works.
- Scopus This link opens in a new window Index of scientific journals, books and conference proceedings focused on the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
- Medline This link opens in a new window Index of biomedical and life-science resources including mostly full-text articles, ebooks, and multimedia.
- MedlinePlus This link opens in a new window Index of consumer health resources, including detailed overviews, interactive tools, and videos related to diseases and disorders, as well as genetics, drugs, and medical tests.
- Agricultural & Environmental Science Database This link opens in a new window Full-text articles, technical reports, conference proceedings, and government publications covering agriculture, animal sciences, biodiversity, biotechnology, botany, climate change, conservation, and cytology. Coverage: 1960 - present.
- Agricola This link opens in a new window Index of citations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Library for materials covering agriculture and related disciplines. Cited materials include journal articles, books, patents, technical reports, etc.
- GreenFILE This link opens in a new window Index of articles with some full-text covering global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy and recycling. Coverage: 1900s - present.
- Social Explorer This link opens in a new window Digitized maps and census data related to demographic information in the U.S. Coverage: 1790 - 2000. Limited to three simultaneous users.
- Statista This link opens in a new window Statistics, reports, infographics, and surveys on business, media, finance, politics and a wide variety of topics. Includes industry and consumer reports, market outlooks, and country reports. Coverage: focus is on current (not historical) statistics.
- SimplyAnalytics This link opens in a new window A mapping application that creates thematic maps and reports using demographic, business, and marketing data. To access, first create a personal workspace.
- Access World News This link opens in a new window Full-text newspapers, magazines, web-only content from U.S. and international news sources. Coverage: 1978 - present.
- Latin American Newspapers - World Newspaper Archive This link opens in a new window Full-text content from Latin American newspapers. Coverage: 1805 - 1922.
- Mideast Wire.com This link opens in a new window A daily email newsletter of translated briefs covering some of the key political, cultural, economic and opinion pieces appearing in the media within 22 Arab countries, Iran and the Arab Diaspora.
- U.S. Newsstream This link opens in a new window Full-text news sources including newspapers, newswires, news journals, television and radio transcripts, blogs, podcasts, and digital-only websites. Coverage: 1980 - present.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window Full-text articles on news, business, and legal sources, radio and television transcripts, federal and state court cases, U.S. Supreme Court decisions, and law reviews. Coverage: 1790 - present.
- America's News Magazines This link opens in a new window Full-text magazines covering popular news and culture, including Fortune, People, Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, and Parenting. Coverage 1991-present.
- Chicago Sun-Times 1986-current This link opens in a new window Full-text local and regional newspaper articles covering many topics including community events, schools, politics, government policies, cultural activities, local companies, state industries, and people in the community. Coverage: 1986 - present.
- Chicago Tribune (1985-current) This link opens in a new window Complete full-text content of local and regional news, including community events, schools, politics, government policies, cultural activities, local companies, state industries, and people in the community.
- Chicago Tribune Historical This link opens in a new window Digitized images and full-text articles related to Chicago news, history, and advertising. Coverage: 1849-2012.
- New York Times Website This link opens in a new window Complete access to the New York Times online edition (nytimes.com) from 1980 through the present. Users must create an account using their LUC email, to gain access to nytimes.com from any web browser or smart phone app, on or off campus, with no monthly limits on article access. This resource is limited to current students, faculty, and staff. Note: HSL students/faculty/staff need to sign up via http://accessnyt.com
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- Wall Street Journal This link opens in a new window Full-text news articles covering business, economics, and finances. Coverage: 1984 - present. Users must register to access resource. Every 180 days users must refresh (or click through the Libraries’ link again). Please register here: WSJ.com/LUC before attempting to access this resource.
- Washington Post (website) This link opens in a new window Unlimited access to WashingtonPost.com content. First time users need to create an account from https://www.washingtonpost.com. Click Sign In, then click Sign Up. Enter your LUC email address and agree to the terms of service. Go to your "Account Settings", click on the "My subscriptions"; tab, and click "Activate free digital access" to get free access to the Post. Email verification will follow.
Online Newspaper Subscriptions
Washington Post (website): Unlimited access to WashingtonPost.com content. First-time users need to create an account from this link to gain access. Click Sign In, then click Sign Up. Enter your LUC email address and agree to the terms of service. Go to your “Account Settings”, click on the “My subscriptions” tab, and click “Activate free digital access” to get free access to the Post. Email verification will follow.
Wall Street Journal: Please CLICK HERE to register for an account before attempting to access this resource The Wall Street Journal is the world's leading business publication with coverage from 1984 to the current year.
New York Times Website: Loyola students, faculty, and staff have unlimited access to NYTimes.com, including archives from 1851 to the present (articles from 1923 to 1980 are limited to five per day per user; unlimited access is available through ProQuest Newstream). First-time users need to create an account from this link Create a New Account to gain access. Returning users can log in from the New York Times' website from this link. Users will have to "renew" their account once a year with their same login information.