Online Periodical Databases are where you go to search forarticles in newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals. Many of our online periodical index databases will link you to the full text of the articles you seek.
Getting To Our Databases
If you are on campus, click here to access our databases. If your are off-campus, click here if you wish to go to our login page to access our Periodical Index Databases from offsite. You will need a BCC library card to access these databases from off-campus. (You do not need a BCC library card to access databases from on campus, except for the MicroMedex databases.) To learn how to use databases click here for brochures.
Upon clicking the links above you will be taken to an annotated A-Z list of our databases. You can search each database separately by clicking their blue, highlighted name, or you can search any number of them together by clicking the check box next to their name and entering your search in the common find box on top. This allows you to search different databases provided through different companies all at once with one common interface, the "find" box. You can even search for books at the same time that you search for articles by clicking the check box next to the listing for the Jonathan Edwards Library public access catalog.
Types of Databases
The Jonathan Edwards Library now subscribes to journal, magazine and newspaper article databases AND to book databases. Both the article and book databases are accessible from on-campus without a password. For off-campus access you will need to provide the barcode number from the back of your current BCC student, faculty, or staff library card, or your current BCC student number. This section describes searching article databases. For book databases, click here.
Article Databases
There are many databases to choose from. Some, such as Academic Search Premiere and Academic OneFile provide full-text articles from journals and magazines in all subject areas, others, such as such as American History Online, Biomedical Reference, Business Source Premiere, Grove Art and Contemporary Literary Criticism are subject specific. The best way to know which database to use is to try all options and to be flexible. The more you use the periodical index databases, the more expert you will become at searching these.
While we have many database providers, most of our databases come from two main companies, EbscoHost and Thomson/Gale. (Infotrac) Other companies providing databases include Facts on File, which provides numerous American History databases; Lexis Nexis, which provides hundreds of newspapers including the New York Times, as well as legal documents; Grove whose Grove Art is our only art subject database; and ProQuest whose Massachusetts Newstand provides back issues of the Berkshire Eagle, as well as the Boston Globe. Each database company has it's own look, although they all share certain common features, such as a find or search box, where you can type in your request.
Our OneSearch Page Listing All Databases:
Do be aware that while it is convenient to search a variety of databases all at once, because each may be indexed very differently, results may not be as complete as they would be if you searched each database alone. Also, depending upon the time of day, the more databases you search in together, the more there is a chance that some of them may be timed out. And some databases, such as Cinahl, Medline and Lexis Nexis are just better searched by themselves. Therefore, if the combined, (also called federated) search doesn't render the expected results then try to search databases individually.
Searching Individual Article Databases
Thomson Gale Databases
Most, but not all of the Thomson Gale databases look like the image below. If you are searching Thomson Gale, you have a choice of using a BrowseSubject, Advanced Search, or a Basic Search. Keep in mind that the system defaults to Basic Search. We suggest you do a Keyword or Subject Search should you choose the Basic Search. For full text of the articles you seek, click on the box labled,
In the Basic Search template type your search query into the find box. The best searches are the most specific searches. Avoiding prepositions, combine words and phrases with and,notor oris best. For instance, if you are looking for an article on slave labor used in producing chocolate by the cocoa industry, youmight type the following in the find box: AdolescentSocial Services and Massachusettes.
The result list will be organized into articles in Academic Journals, in Magazines, Newspapers and Media. Click on the tab on the top for the type of periodical article you want. Then choose the article from the list by clicking it's title. You can print, email, or save the articles you choose. Articles may come in one or two formats. These are an html or text file, or a pdf or image file. Pdf files require Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free software that is usually resident on your computer, to load. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer, you will be prompted to load it for free. (To read more, click herefor the Thomson Gale database brochure).
EbscoHost Databases
All of the Ebsco databases look like this. Databases include a find box for searching. You can also choose whether you want full text or scholarly articles. (Ebsco defaults to full text.) Type your search query into the find box. The best searches are the most specific searches. Avoiding prepositions, combine words and phrases with and, not or or. For instance, if you are looking for an article on the rights of women in Afganistan, you might type the following in the find box: women's rights and Afghanistan. This will render over two hundred articles on the subject.
The result list will include Academic Journals, Magazines and Newspaper articles together. If you want only one specific type of periodical, for instance, magazine articles, click the word Magazine, on the left. This will reduce your total number of results to just those articles in magazines. Choose the article from the list by clicking it's title. Articles may come in one or two formats. These are an html or text file, or a pdf or image file. Pdf files require Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free software that is usually resident on your computer, to load. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer, you will be prompted to load it for free. You can print, email, or save the articles you choose. (To read more, click here for the Ebsco database brochure).
Other databases have similar search methods. Consult the brochures for these from the listing of brochures on our brochure page.
