• Library databases, which provide electronic access to articles
• Periodical holdings, consisting of paper copies of journals available in the library
• Borrowing from other libraries
  

Use this guide to learn about the various ways to access these resources.

Searching Databases / Finding Full Text Articles / Periodical Holdings / Borrowing from Other Libraries / Off-Campus Access

Searching Databases

Databases function like electronic filing cabinets that contain thousands of articles. The three main types of databases are:

• Indexes to articles with citations and abstracts.
• Full-text databases that include the entire text of the articles or documents indexed.
• Databases which have full-text articles for some journals, but only citations and abstracts for others.

Databases cover a wide variety of subject areas; some contain articles pertaining to a specific major, while others are interdisciplinary. To figure out which databases best cover your research topic:

• Visit the Databases by Subject page to select a subject area and find recommended databases.
• Visit the Databases A - Z page for a full description of databases.
• Visit our Resources for Courses and Majors page.
• Ask a reference librarian.

Databases function like search engines. You can enter search terms, limit by date, and search specific kinds of publications. Most databases have help menus that are extremely useful in learning some of the tricks and strategies for searching.

Finding Full Text Articles

Some databases already contain the full text of the article. When you find an article citation that does not have the full text of the article, click on the button next to the article citation. This will search for the full text in other databases and the library's Periodicals collection. If the article is available through a different database, click the Go button next to the online copy option. If the article is availabe as a print copy in the library, you will find the journal containing the article on the first floor of the library (see the Periodical Holdings section for details). If the full text of the article is not available online or in the library's Periodicals collection, you can order the article through Interlibrary Loan. *There will usually be an ILL option on the screen that will take you directly to the journal request form.

If you have a citation, you can also search the Journal Locator for all active subscriptions. Type in the name of the journal (not the article title) to see if the library has access to the title online or in our Periodicals collection. Use Interlibrary Loan if we do not have access to the journal. You can also search the MnPALS catalog (using the title of the journal) for both active and cancelled print subscriptions.

Periodical Holdings

The library's Periodical holdings consist of journals that the library subscribes to. You can find these journals on the first floor of the library.

• Recent issues of journals and magazines are located in the middle set of shelves on the north side of the library. Titles are arranged alphabetically.
• Older issues of publications are also arranged alphabetically by title on shelves throughout the first floor. If you are looking for an older journal (approximately older than 1 year), use the tags on the ends of the shelves to find the letter that also begins the title of your journal (go to the second word of the title if the title begins wiht a, an, or the). Your journal will be arranged alphabetically within the section. *Note: many older issues have been bound together, so several issues of a title will be found in one volume.

Journals can be checked out for a 24-hour period, or you can make copies of the article on any of the library's copiers.

Borrowing from Other Libraries

For more information on obtaining articles that the library does not own, visit the Borrowing from Other Libraries (ILL) page. You will find an electronic form used to submit article requests.

Off-Campus Access

You can access any of the library's databases from off-campus. Visit the Off-Campus Access page for more information.

Last updated October 16, 2006