A library database is an online collection of electronically stored information. Libraries buy subscriptions to databases so their users can search for information on different topics. This information can be found in:
scholarly peer-reviewed articles
newspaper articles
trade publications
book reviews
ebooks
magazine articles
dissertations/theses
videos/pictures
Different search techniques such as (e.g., keywords, subjects, authors, titles, boolean operators, phrases, etc) can be used to assist users filter through the information located in the databases.
The library databases we subscribe to cover a wide scope of subjects with many of them being specific to the academic programs offered at our faculties/schools. Both our students and staff can use our library databases to find research and information on a variety of topics. The UJ library subscribes to about 318 databases. Each database is made up of specific publications like academic journals and ebooks that make up what sort of information can be found in that database. Each source of information is sorted and indexed by subject terms and keywords based on what the source is about.