Good Databases - My Favourite Five
So...it ended up being quite a bit longer than a few weeks since I last posted. But here it is, the follow up to my post on secondary sources.
I've created a list of my top five favourite databases. "...Why do you have a list of favourite databases?" I hear you wondering. It's simple, really. I'm a student, and I'm a nerd. Any questions?
I should note that if you're reading from somewhere that is not Canada, I don't know if access to all of these websites will be available in your country (I can only vouch for the US, the UK, and I think India as well), but given the nature of the interwebs, they probably will be.
1. JSTOR
http://www.jstor.org/
Pro: It's an incredibly rich and diverse database. It also goes back quite a long time. It's hardly ever failed me.
Con: Unless you have an institutional membership (i.e. through a school or university), you quite often have to pay.
2. Google Books
https://books.google.ca/
Pro: You would be amazed at the number of books you can find through Google. It's convenient, you can highlight in it and make notes, make bookmarks, and make lists. It's very handy if you don't fancy a trek through your local library.
Con: Sometimes you can only get access to a preview or you're asked to pay for it. If you're looking for something very specific, sometimes you can get away with the snippet view, but it's not terribly helpful if you're
3. University of Toronto Libraries
https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/
Pro: It's the third largest scholarly library in North America. They have everything. No, I'm telling you, everything, and quite an extensive amount of online sources if you can't make it into a library location (there are quite a few of them, which is another pro).
Con: There are all kinds of restrictions unless you're a U of T student, but I believe you can buy a membership. Possibly. Also, heaven help you if you're writing on a topic at the same time as the rest of your course. It's a scramble for the books.
4. Scholars Portal Books
http://books2.scholarsportal.info/home.html
Pro: Again, a very wide selection. You can make bookmarks, and you can even download portions of the books, and with some of them, you can even download the whole book for a limited amount of time.
Con: The downloads often last only about 2 weeks, and it sometimes requires a lot of page flipping (i.e. clicking).
5. Your local library
Pro: The access is free, and there are librarians (real, live people!) that can help you find what you need. Sometimes they often have online resources they can direct you to and help you use. If you live in Toronto, you are fortunate enough to have an incredibly good library system. This is a link to the Toronto Libraries website which lists all of the databases available to members of the Toronto library system.
Con: The diversity and availability of books will depend entirely on where you are.
I've created a list of my top five favourite databases. "...Why do you have a list of favourite databases?" I hear you wondering. It's simple, really. I'm a student, and I'm a nerd. Any questions?
I should note that if you're reading from somewhere that is not Canada, I don't know if access to all of these websites will be available in your country (I can only vouch for the US, the UK, and I think India as well), but given the nature of the interwebs, they probably will be.
1. JSTOR
http://www.jstor.org/
Pro: It's an incredibly rich and diverse database. It also goes back quite a long time. It's hardly ever failed me.
Con: Unless you have an institutional membership (i.e. through a school or university), you quite often have to pay.
2. Google Books
https://books.google.ca/
Pro: You would be amazed at the number of books you can find through Google. It's convenient, you can highlight in it and make notes, make bookmarks, and make lists. It's very handy if you don't fancy a trek through your local library.
Con: Sometimes you can only get access to a preview or you're asked to pay for it. If you're looking for something very specific, sometimes you can get away with the snippet view, but it's not terribly helpful if you're
3. University of Toronto Libraries
https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/
Pro: It's the third largest scholarly library in North America. They have everything. No, I'm telling you, everything, and quite an extensive amount of online sources if you can't make it into a library location (there are quite a few of them, which is another pro).
Con: There are all kinds of restrictions unless you're a U of T student, but I believe you can buy a membership. Possibly. Also, heaven help you if you're writing on a topic at the same time as the rest of your course. It's a scramble for the books.
4. Scholars Portal Books
http://books2.scholarsportal.info/home.html
Pro: Again, a very wide selection. You can make bookmarks, and you can even download portions of the books, and with some of them, you can even download the whole book for a limited amount of time.
Con: The downloads often last only about 2 weeks, and it sometimes requires a lot of page flipping (i.e. clicking).
5. Your local library
Pro: The access is free, and there are librarians (real, live people!) that can help you find what you need. Sometimes they often have online resources they can direct you to and help you use. If you live in Toronto, you are fortunate enough to have an incredibly good library system. This is a link to the Toronto Libraries website which lists all of the databases available to members of the Toronto library system.
Con: The diversity and availability of books will depend entirely on where you are.
Comments
Post a Comment