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Why Use a Database?
While the Library Catalog can tell you whether the Library has a particular journal title, it cannot tell you what articles are in a journal. An article index or database allows you to search thousands of issues of different periodicals to find matches for your search terms.
Databases vary as to what types of materials they include. A database can index scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, books, dissertations, and other types of materials.
Article Databases
- Grove music online This link opens in a new windowOffers the full texts of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd Edition (2001), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (1992), The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd Edition (2001), The Oxford companion to Music (2011), and The Oxford Dictionary, 2nd Edition (revised 2006), as well as all subsequent updates. It includes 50,000 signed articles and 30,000 biographies. It is the most comprehensive source of information on all aspects of music in English.
- Oxford music online This link opens in a new windowOxford Music Online allows the simultaneous searching of The New Grove Dictionary of Music, 2nd edition; The Oxford Dictionary of Music; and The Oxford Companion to Music.
- RILM Abstracts of Music Literature This link opens in a new windowThe most scholarly and comprehensive index of music literature. Provides indexing and abstracts to articles, books, bibliographies, catalogues, conference proceedings, discographies, dissertations, ethnographic recordings, Festschriften, films, iconographies, and videos covered by the Repertoire International de Literature Musicale. Coverage is 1967-. Especially strong in musicology and music therapy, but covers all areas of music, including interdisciplinary materials.
- Music Periodicals Database This link opens in a new windowProvides indexing, abstracts, and selected full-text from many periodicals, covering the scholarly to the popular. Full-text ranges from 1874 to the present.
- Music Index This link opens in a new windowIndexes journal articles covering classical, popular, and world music.
- Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals This link opens in a new windowRIPM Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals is an international, highly annotated database with detailed content analysis of writings on musical history and culture between 1800 and 1950 from over 140 periodicals
Interdisciplinary Databases
- Academic search complete This link opens in a new windowContains full-text peer reviewed journal articles as well as newspapers, blogs, wire services, and general interest periodicals from across all academic disciplines.
- Gale Academic: OneFile Select This link opens in a new windowProvides a combination of indexing, abstracts, images, and full text for scholarly and general interest journals embracing all academic disciplines and spanning at least 25 years.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new windowProvides image and full-text online access of core academic journals in a variety of disciplines in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. The following collections are accessible: Arts and Sciences Collections I-XIV; Business IV; Life Sciences Collection; Public Health Reports, Global Plants, and JSTOR Arts & Sciences XV.
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new windowProvides online access to current issues of selected scholarly journals in the arts and humanities, social sciences, and mathematics.
- ProQuest research library This link opens in a new windowA comprehensive database available that indexes and abstracts general interest magazines and scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines and newspapers in the social sciences, humanities and sciences. The database includes more than 3820 titles -- over 2550 in full text -- from 1971 forward.
- Web of science This link opens in a new windowIndexes and abstracts citations in research journals across the disciplinary spectrum. Online version of: Arts and humanities citation index (1975-present); Science citation index (1900-present); and Social sciences citation index (1956-present).
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