Information Path
When your instructor asks you to find resources using the library, you may not know where to start. Your two best options are the online catalog (we call it O.W.L. for "Oakton's Whole Library") and our list of databases. These are the information pathways I mentioned earlier.
O.W.L. (Oakton's Whole Library)
O.W.L. searches the library's whole catalog for articles, e-books, audiobooks, print books, streaming videos, and more. Users can sign in to request physical items or to access electronic items.
Access O.W.L. from the homepage. Click on "Search O.W.L. Oakton's Whole Library to access the catalog where you can conduct advanced and simple searches. You may also perform a simple search using the search field on the homepage.
You can search by keyword, author, or title.
You can perform a simple search or select "advanced search" for more search fields
Filters appear to the left of the result list
Filters that will probably be especially useful are
- Availability -- select "available online" for electronic resources or "held by library" for physical items
- Refine by Date Range
- Types of Sources -- can help you find specific source types such as books, newspaper articles, journals, and more
Databases
A database is a collection of information that is organized and retrievable. Library databases are tools that help students find published information such as articles, chapters from books, images, and so on.
Databases give students free access to information beyond what is available on the internet. Students can also expect some quality control since the items in the database have gone through a rigorous publication process.
From our homepage (oakton.edu/library) click on "Find Articles and Databases" to access the A-Z list of databases. The list is long--over 200 databases! You may find it helpful to filter the list by subject or by database type.
Select a database that is appropriate for your needs.
Enter search terms (just one or two words--not a whole sentence) in the search fields
Use filters to refine and focus your results
Learn more about using databases with Oakton's Using Databases library guide.
Advantages of Databases
Databases can seem intimidating and are sometimes hard to use at first. Why would we want to use them? Databases have some advantages.
Quality
Library databases contain published information. This means there has already been some quality control and vetting of information prior to publishing, unlike the internet, where anyone can publish anything.
More Information
Library databases give you access to information that you cannot find on the general internet
No Additional Cost
While free tools like Google Scholar might help you discover materials, you often cannot get them without paying. Oakton has already paid to subscribe to our databases, meaning there is no extra cost for you.
Search Tools
Databases offer many ways to limit your search, such as dates, type of publication, subject/topic, and much more. This means you can create more specific searches than you can with a general search engine.