Personal tools
You are here: Home For Libraries K-P New Library Director Manual Iowa Library Services' Programs Electronic Resources

Electronic Resources

Not everything is available free on the Internet.  Libraries subscribe to databases such as EBSCOhost to provide high quality information to their communities.   

A library database is an electronic catalog or index that contains information about published items such as journals/magazines, books and newspapers.  Library databases are searchable and many are full-text.

A full-text database is one in which the complete text of each referenced document, such as a journal article, is available for online viewing, printing, or downloading. In addition to text documents, images are often included, such as graphs, maps, photos, and diagrams.

The State Library provides library databases such as EBSCOhost and OCLC FirstSearch through cost-effective statewide licenses.  EBSCOhost includes information on business, health, multi-cultural issues, music, politics, history, geography and science, as well as key children's magazines.With EBSCOhost, libraries sign up for access and pay a small portion of the costs. FirstSearch includes WorldCat as well as other databases and is provided statewide by the State Library at no cost to libraries. Regular training is provided on using these databases.

It's important for all libraries - small and large - to provide as many resources to their communities as possible.   If your library does not subscribe to EBSCOhost and/or FirstSearch, your community is missing out.  Contact Jay Peterson for more information.


Document Actions
Webmaster last modified Apr 24, 2012 03:27 PM