Database: an organized collection of information,
usually pertaining to a particular subject.

Think of databases as huge electronic filing systems. They must be highly organized for people to easily find the information they need. When you use a database to find information, the database serves as an index.

There are many kinds of databases. The most common type you will encounter in the library is an online periodical index, which indexes articles published in magazines, journals, and newspapers. Most of the indexes you will find through GALILEO , but you can also search all indexes available to you through West Georgia by going to DATABASES

When you search a periodical index you will always get a citation, which includes the article author, article title, magazine or journal title, and date. Often you will also find abstracts or the full text of articles. Many of the articles will be full text. If the article is not full text in the index you are using, you will see . clicking this will search for an index that provides it.