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DMSC 7005

Library Tutorial

What Is a Library Database?

Library databases take a variety of forms and cover a variety of content. Most often, people associate the library with research databases: databases that search through a large number of journals to find articles on a given subject. These databases usually focus on a particular topic area, although some are broad by design.

The ATSU Library also subscribes to many other kinds of databases, including:

  • eBook collections, where you can find many of your textbooks and reference texts
  • exam prep resources that you can use to study for licensure exams, board exams, EORs, and more
  • point-of-care tools to support clinical practice
  • procedure video databases
  • interactive anatomy apps
  • video databases that help you learn research skills
  • and more!

Why Should You Use Databases Instead of Google?

While Google is great in our day-to-day lives, it is not designed to filter information or focus on scholarly content. Our research databases are curated, containing only scholarly resources, often a specific topic. This makes it much easier to find high-quality information on a given topic. Additionally, many of our other databases which contain books, videos, and more, contain content that can not be found on the open internet.

Still OneSearch

Still OneSearch is the library's custom database that searches many of our databases at the same time. If you want a quick and comprehensive search of everything the library has to offer, this is your best best. 

Still OneSearch v. Library Databases

Still OneSearch is great for:

  • doing a quick search
  • getting a comprehensive view of a topic
  • searching different kinds of content at once (including books, articles, videos, etc)

Use individual databases for:

  • focused literature searches
  • clinical questions
  • searching in a specific topic/field
  • searching for a particular type of resources

Databases

The library provides access to a wide range of academic databases that fit a wide range of purposes. This included subscription databases for finding articles and conducting academic research, linking to recommended free databases, resources for exam prep and study, textbook databases, clinical tools, and more.

Finding Journals

This video goes over how to use BrowZine - the library app that makes it easy to find, browse, and read journals provided by the ATSU Library.

Point of Care Tools

This video provides a brief overview and comparison of the clinical point-of-care tools provided by the A.T. Still Memorial Library.

LibKey Nomad

LibKey Nomad is a helpful browser extension that will connect your browser to the ATSU library, and let you know if you have full-text access to articles, even if you are not using a library database.

This means that if you are searching public sites like PubMed or Google Scholar, or find yourself on the website for a specific journal or article, you can get immediate full-text access without having to search in the library catalog.

If the library cannot provide full text access, LibKey Nomad will help you submit and ILL request in just one click.