Online Dbase NC Live

Vance-Granville Community College Learning Resources Center: 

Vance-Granville Community College Learning Resources Center NC-Live Online Database Tutorial

What is an online database? : 

What is an online database? Simply defined, a database is a collection of information that is organized so that it can be easily accessed, managed, and updated. An online database, therefore, is a collection of information that can be accessed via the Internet. The online databases that are discussed in this tutorial are multi-subject databases, which means that many different subjects are covered by the information in each database.

Remote Access Passwords for the LRC’s Online Databases : 

Remote Access Passwords for the LRC’s Online Databases The online databases can be accessed via any computer that is connected to the Internet; this means you can use these databases from your home, office, or friend’s computers, as long as they are connected to the Internet. Students wishing to use the online databases will be required to complete a form like the one to the left.

Remote Access Passwords for the LRC’s Online Databases Con’t.: 

Remote Access Passwords for the LRC’s Online Databases Con’t. To use the online databases when you are not in the LRC, you will need to sign up for the remote access passwords. First, register to be a library patron if you have not already done so; ask to do this at the Circulation Desk. If you are already a library patron, bring your student ID to the Circulation Desk. You will be asked to fill out an application to receive the passwords; this will require basic personal information, such as your name, address, phone number, etc. The passwords will be given to you after the application is filled out. Please be aware that the passwords change during the school year! For security reasons, new passwords are assigned to the databases at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters. This means that if you receive the remote access passwords in the Fall, you will have to return to the LRC in the Spring to receive the new passwords. If you receive the remote access passwords in the Spring, you will have to return to the LRC during the following Fall semester to receive the new passwords. However, you will not need to fill out the application again in order to receive the new passwords.

NC-Live: 

NC-Live NC-Live can be accessed from the Vance-Granville homepage Go to www.vgcc.edu Click on “links & research: online library” at the top of the page Scroll down to “online databases” and click on NC-Live

EZ-Search: 

EZ-Search EZ-Search is a function that allows you to search over 30 NC-Live databases at once. This feature is a good place to start if you don’t know which database you should use. When using EZ-Search, simply type in your keywords and click on the "search" button.

EZ-Search Con’t.: 

EZ-Search Con’t. EZ Search allows you to specify whether the words you put in should be treated as individual keywords or as an exact phrase. All Words: EZ Search will look for articles that contain each of the words you typed, but the words may or may not appear near each other in the articles. Any Words: EZ Search will look for articles with any one or more of the words you typed. Exact Phrase: EZ Search will look for articles having the words in the exact order you typed them.

EZ-Search Results Page: 

EZ-Search Results Page The results page will display the number of hits for each database that was searched . Click on the number to display full-text articles, abstracts, and citations on the information you are seeking. A new window will open so you can easily return to your results at any time. You may limit your search results to full-text only if you click on the “Full-Text” under the “Limit to” column. The results page also gives a brief description of each database that was searched. You can also see additional information on each database by clicking on "more info" in the right hand column. This is helpful if you are looking for a specific type of information. If you are doing research on a medical topic you may wish to view the results from a database that specifically contains medical information. Click here to access the results from your search Click here to retrieve full-text articles only A description of each database is given here!

Additional Info on using EZ-Search : 

Additional Info on using EZ-Search If you need some additional assistance using the EZ-Search features you can take the guided tour in NC-Live. The tour should take about 4 minutes and it is full of helpful information. To access the tour click on the “Take the Guided Tour” on NC-Live’s homepage or go to: http://www.nclive.org/guides/tour/tourindex.phtml Click here to take the guided tour!

Browsing Resources: 

Browsing Resources The tabs at the top of NC-Live’s homepage offers much useful information. The “Browse Resources” tab offers many different ways to view resources within NC-Live including: “Subject and Type”, “Alphabetic”, “Vendor” and “Not EZ-Searchable”

Browsing Resources: Subject & Type: 

Browsing Resources: Subject & Type The “Subject and Type” tab offers listings of the databases within NC-Live broken down by their subject or type. The subjects feature is helpful if you are looking for topic-specific information. For example, if you are looking for business resources only, simply click on “Business” and all of the business-related databases within NC-Live will be listed. The “Types” feature is helpful if you are looking for a specific type of information. For example, you may need a newspaper article to complete an assignment. Simply click on “Newspapers” and all newspaper-specific databases within NC-Live will be listed.

Browsing Resources: Alphabetic: 

Browsing Resources: Alphabetic The Alphabetic tab will display an alphabetic list of all NC-Live resources, plus descriptions Clicking on the title of the resource will take you directly to it.

Browsing Resources: Not E-Z Searchable: 

Browsing Resources: Not E-Z Searchable The “Not EZ-Searchable” tab lists all of the databases that are not searched through the EZ-Search feature on the homepage. Many of these databases are “specialty’ databases that offer lots of great information! Some examples of databases that can be found through this feature include: African-American Poetry American Slavery: A Composite Biography Daily Life Through History American Poetry

Browsing Resources: Vendors: 

Browsing Resources: Vendors Clicking on the Vendor tab will display a list of all of the vendors in NC-Live. Vendors are the companies that create and maintain the databases within NC-Live. In layman’s terms, vendors are like name brands. One vendor may offer more than one database within NC-Live, but all of the products created by a specific vendor will look and operate the same. Clicking on a vendor will take you directly to the resources offered by that company. Clicking on a Vendor will take you to all of the resources offered by that company, but this feature is most useful to extremely knowledgeable NC-Live users.

Search Features: 

Search Features Like the “Browse Resources” tab the “Search” tab within NC-Live also offers several options for conducting research. The first option is the “EZ-Search” which we have already thoroughly covered. EZ-Search operates the same way no matter how you access it. EZ-Search works the same from this location as it does from the NC-Live homepage.

Search: Introduction to Searching: 

Search: Introduction to Searching The “Introduction to Searching” feature is a good tool if you would like more in-depth information about NC-Live. Simply click on any of the links on the page to learn more about NC-Live. Click on one of these links for more information!

Search Features: Find Full-Text Publications: 

Search Features: Find Full-Text Publications One of the most important and useful features under the “Search” tab is “Find Full-Text Publications”. The “Find Full-Text Publications” feature allows users to locate a specific periodical title within NC-Live. The feature will search all the databases and retrieve only those that hold the title for which you are looking. For example, if you located an article through the Internet, Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature, another database, or some other means, you can quickly find out if the article can be found in NC-Live by using this feature. Look here for some helpful tips on finding full-text publications

Find Full-Text Publications Results: 

Find Full-Text Publications Results For example, let’s say that you are trying to locate the article, “Backpack Attack” by Andrew Murr, published in the October 14th, 2002 issue of Newsweek Magazine on page 10. By using the “Find Full-Text Publications” feature you can input Newsweek and click search. You should get results similar to the screen to the right. Choose one of the results that offers full-text coverage for the dates that you need. Click on name of the periodical (underlined in blue) and you will be redirected to the appropriate database. Click on the year of the article for which you are searching and then choose the appropriate issue. All of the articles in that issue will be displayed in order by the page number. Simply click on that title and the full-text article should be displayed. Check here to make sure that the full-text coverage is available for the dates you need.

What is Full-Text?: 

What is Full-Text? NC-Live offers online access to full-text articles from over 10,000 newspapers, journals, magazines, and encyclopedias. Full-text means that the entire contents of the article is available. For some articles, only an abstract or a citation is given. An abstract is a short description of an article and where to locate the full-text. A citation is simply the citation information that will also direct you to the full-text article. In most cases, you will probably want the full-text. However, remember, if you really need an article and only the citation or abstract is given, there are other ways to get the information. You may also be able to find articles on our magazine racks, in our back issues, or through interlibrary loan. If you can’t find something don’t hesitate to ask!

Using the Different Databases in NC-Live: 

Using the Different Databases in NC-Live There are many different types of databases used in NC-Live. Below are the three vendors that produce the databases that are used the most often. EBSCO ProQuest Gale Databases created by the same vendor will always operate exactly the same. However, once you learn your way around one database, you will find that almost all offer the same features and have the same basic operations.

Choosing a Specific Database: 

Choosing a Specific Database If you would like to choose a specific database, remember the many options under the “Browse Resources” tab. Descriptions of the different databases will be given to aid you in choosing the appropriate database. If you choose to use the “Vendor” feature it is possible to search more than one EBSCO database at a time by checking the boxes beside each one. For the purposes of this tutorial, however, we will only search one at a time.

Example EBSCO Database: Academic Search Elite: 

Example EBSCO Database: Academic Search Elite Perform a keyword search by putting your search terms in the “Find” box. In the example to the right, “choosing a college” was input as the keyword search. Near the bottom of the screen, check the box beside “Full-text” so that the database will only search for those articles that have their full texts stored within the database. Click Search Input search terms here Click here to begin search Check here to get full-text only results

Understanding EBSCO Results: 

Understanding EBSCO Results The results of your search should look like the screen to the left At the top of the results under the “Refine Search” and “Results” tab, you will see the total number of articles retrieved from the search. Beside the total number of articles found are the page numbers. Each page will show 10 results. You may click on the next number or the word “Next” to go the next results page. This screen navigation tool is available at the top and the bottom of the screen. Each result on the list will have the title along with the citation information. To access the article, you may either click on the title (underlined in blue), click on HTML Full-Text, or click on PDF Full-Text (if available). Click on the title of the link after the citation to open the article Click on the page number or “Next” to go to the next page

The Article: 

The Article You may print, e-mail, or save to a disk any of the items in your results list – this includes the full-text articles! Buttons for each of these functions are included at the top of the screen. You may wish to add an article to the folder. By placing articles you may like to view again in the folder, you are able to limit your own results and retrieve the exact articles you would like to view again. Simply click on “Add to folder”. Click on the folder to the right of the screen to view all items you may have put in it. Notice the boldface words in the article to the right. The bolded words let you know why the database returned that particular article. The boldface words should match your search terms. (If you wish to see boldface words for a .pdf full text article, click on the title in the results list and the abstract will provide the keyword matches. Click here to add article to folder Citation Information! Click here to view items in the folder

The .PDF Article: 

The .PDF Article Articles that can only be accessed through a .pdf file are articles that have been scanned into the database and are, essentially, a picture of the article. The benefit of viewing the article in .pdf format is that you can view all pictures, graphics, and sidebars associated with the article. However, because .pdf files are essentially pictures they are often large files that can bog down a slow computer. IMPORTANT: Always print using the print icon directly above the article when printing .pdf articles. If you use the print icon in the standard toolbar or go to “File” and “Print” you will get blank pages. Always click here to print!!

Example ProQuest Database: ProQuest Newspapers: 

Example ProQuest Database: ProQuest Newspapers You will notice that the basic search screen in ProQuest looks quite different from the basic search screen in EBSCOhost. However, you will find that although these products look quite different, they offer many of the same features. You will notice that this product also offers a box to input search terms, a button after the box to click on to begin your search, and an option to choose full-text articles only. Input search terms here Click here to begin search Check here to limit to full-text results only

Understanding ProQuest: 

Understanding ProQuest As with the other online databases, you can search multiple ProQuest databases at one time. Simply click on the link “Select Multiple Databases” and check the boxes beside the databases that you would like to search. Remember, this will expand your results. Check the boxes to the left to select the databases that you would like to search.

A Sample ProQuest Search: 

A Sample ProQuest Search In the example to the right, a search for “find cheap airline tickets” is being performed. Input the search terms in the search box, click in the box “Limit to Full-text articles only”, and click on Search Remember, this tells the database that you want it to find only those articles that contain the words “find cheap airline tickets” and that you only want it to find those articles that have their full texts stored within the database.

Understanding the ProQuest Results: 

Understanding the ProQuest Results The results screen will show the total number of articles found, the citation information, and results page navigation. The total number of articles found can be viewed under the “Suggested Topics” box. The citation information for each article that is listed is under the title of the article. The navigation tools for getting from one page of the results to the next is located at the bottom of the screen only. Click on the next number or “Next” to get the next results. To go back click on the page number, “Previous” or “First”. Total Results here Citation information is here

Getting the Article in ProQuest: 

Getting the Article in ProQuest To view the full-text of one of these articles, click on the words “Full Text” (under the citation information, underlined in blue). Within the article, you will notice that several of the words in the title and abstract are red; these are the search terms you asked the database to look for. Like the EBSCOhost databases, these words indicate why the database returned those particular results.

Getting the Article in ProQuest Con’t.: 

Getting the Article in ProQuest Con’t. You may print or e-mail any of the items in your results list – this includes the full-text of the articles! Buttons for each of these functions are located at the top of the screen when you look at the abstract or full- text of an article. Remember, if you are printing an article in .pdf format you must print within Adobe in order to get a copy of the article. (See slide 25 to review)

Marking Articles in ProQuest: 

Marking Articles in ProQuest Much like the “Folder” in EBSCOhost, you can limit your own results by “marking” them. Simply click in the check box beside the article you wish to refer back to and it will be added to your “marked” items. To view your marked items, list click on “# marked item list” just above your first result (the # indicates the number of items you have put on the list). Check here to add this article to your “marked items” list. Click here to see your entire “marked items” list.

Citing Sources in ProQuest: 

Citing Sources in ProQuest If you need help citing any of the resources that come from a ProQuest database, check the boxes beside all of the articles you wish to cite (the same box you use to “mark” an item) and click on “Cite” directly above your first search result (near the marked item link). Under “Create Your Bibliography” choose “Citations only” and the format you would like to use (MLA, APA, etc.) After you have chosen the format, click on one of the buttons at the bottom of the page depending on what you would like to do with the information. In most cases, ProQuest will put the resources in the format you have chosen; in some instances, however, you will need to add more information to the generated citations. Click on the red “help” link at the top of the page for additional information. Click here if you need help Always choose the “citations” only option You may E-mail, Print, or Download your citations.

Example Gale Database: InfoTrac OneFile: 

Example Gale Database: InfoTrac OneFile As with the other two databases we have discussed, Gale’s InfoTrac OneFile offers many of the same features. You will notice that this product also offers a box to input search terms, a button after the box to click on to begin the search, and an option to choose full-text articles only. Input search terms here Click here to being your search Check this box to limit to full-text

A Sample Gale Search: 

A Sample Gale Search In the example to the right, a search for “paying for college” is being conducted. Input the search terms in the search box, click in the box “limit the current search to article with text”, and click on Search. Remember, this tells the database that you want it to find only those articles that contain the words “paying for college” and that you only want it to find those articles that have their full-texts stored within the database.

Understanding the Gale Results: 

Understanding the Gale Results The results screen will provide the total number of articles found, the citation information, and results page navigation. The total number of articles can be found at the top and the bottom of every results screen. The citation information for each listed article is under the title of the article. The results page navigation is at the top and the bottom of every results screen. The blue arrows to the left and right of the total number of articles found will take you forward or backward. Page Navigation Buttons Citation Information Total Number of articles found

Getting the Article in Gale: 

Getting the Article in Gale Notice there are little pictures of pages and cameras to the left of each article’s title. If you hold your mouse pointer over these pictures, you will see the words “text” or “text with graphics” appear. This will indicate what type of full-text coverage is available for each article. Clicking on the title of an article will also show you whichever option is available. In some cases, a .pdf file of a particular article is available. You can tell which articles these are if a little picture that says “PDF” appears at the bottom of the record. Clicking on the picture will take you to a .pdf file of the article. Click here to open article Click here to open .pdf file

Getting the Article in Gale Con’t.: 

Getting the Article in Gale Con’t. As with the EBSCO and ProQuest databases, several of the words in the article’s title, citation, or abstract are in red type; these are the search terms that you asked the database to look for. These words let you know why the database returned those particular results. You may print or e-mail any of the items in your results list. Buttons for each of these functions are included in the left-hand side of each screen. Remember, if you are printing an article in .pdf format you must print within Adobe in order to get a copy of the article. (See slide 25 to review)

Marking Articles in Gale: 

Marking Articles in Gale Like the EBSCO folder and the ProQuest marked items list, you can limit you own search results by choosing articles you may find interesting. Simply check the “Mark” box to the left of the citation to put it in the “mark list”. You may view all items you put in the mark list by clicking on “View Mark List” on the left of the screen. Click here to view your mark items list Click here to “mark” an item and add it to your “mark item list”.

Helpful Tips: 

Helpful Tips E-mail yourself every article you are using and keep it in your inbox until after your paper is due. By doing this, you are assured easy access to all the articles you need. So, if you can’t remember how or where you found something, you can always easily find it in your inbox! Remember, print .pdf files using the printer icon directly above the article. If you use “File” and “Print” or the printer icon in your standard toolbar you will get blank pages.

Where to Go for Additional Help: 

Where to Go for Additional Help If you need to fill out the application to receive the Remote Access passwords, please ask at the Circulation desk! If you are unable to get your Remote Access passwords to work, please call us at (252)738-3279! If you’re having trouble finding the information you’re looking for in one of the databases, please ask the Reference Librarian!