Are you looking for a specific database?
Use the Links
to All Databases for an A to Z list of all of the electronic resources that
Benedictine University Library subscribes to.
You can also watch some online tutorials to learn more about searching specific electronic resources.
Determine which databases are likely
to have articles on your topic
Use the Links
to Databases by Subject for suggestions. You
can also browse through the list of popular databases
on the home
page. If you're unsure about which database
to search, ask the Reference Librarian on the main (2nd)
floor of the library (if you are off campus, call the
Reference Desk at 630-829-6057 or e-mail libref@ben.edu).
Search the database you've chosen for
articles on your topic
Procedures for searching will vary with each database.
Most databases have "help" or tutorials to assist
you with your searching, or ask the Reference Librarian
for assistance. Usually a "keyword" or "default"
search will obtain good results.
Do you want to search several databases simultaneously?
Try WebFeat, a beta federated search engine.
Locate the full text of the article
Many databases contain the full text of the article within
them -- look for links similar to "HTML Full Text"
or "PDF Full Text." Click on the link to see
the text of the article as it appeared in print. In some
databases, such as Lexis-Nexis Academic, everything in
the database is full text.
If there aren't any links to the full
text of the article in the database:
Look for a 
button or "Find it @ BU" link on the results
page of your search on on the detailed record page for
a specific article. This button will bring you to a menu
where you can locate the full text of the article in other
databases, or to other services such as interlibrary loan
forms. See How
do I use Find it @ BU for more information
on how this service works.
If there is no Find it @ BU
link, note the name of the journal in which the article
appeared (sometimes identified as "Source")
and the month and year of the article. Then search Benedictine's
Journal
Holdings List to see if the journal is available
in full text in a different database, or if the library
holds the journal in paper or microfilm/microfiche. Many
databases have a link directly to the Journal Holdings
List built in to them (look at the top, side, or bottom
of the page for the link).
For example, the Journal Holdings List entry below for
Harvard Business Review indicates:
- The library holds this title in print (call number
380.5 H26, issues from vol.1, 1922 onwards).
- In addition, full text of this title is available in
three different databases (Business & Company Profile
ASAP, Business Source Elite, and Expanded
Academic ASAP). Note that each database has slightly
different years of coverage, which may affect the database
you choose to search for the full text of the article
you want. To search a particular database, click on the
database's name and you will be connected to that database
(and, depending on the database, directly to a page that
will lead you to all articles from that journal).
If the journal title you need is not in
the Journal Holdings List:
- You may place an interlibrary
loan request for the article. We will attempt
to get a photocopy of the article from another library.
Interlibrary Loan Request Forms are available online or
in paper format in the library. Several databases also
have interlibrary loan request forms built in to that
database. Please allow a minimum of 10 working days for
articles to arrive.
- Alternatively, you can see if a nearby library that
has the journal and travel there to use it. Ask the Reference
Librarian for assistance.
|
