Databases

  • Link to MetaLib with databases listed alphabetically by title, with brief descriptions:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
  • Link to MetaLib with databases grouped by subject, where you have the option to cross-search several databases:
Arts and Humanities Social Sciences
Archaeology Economics
English Education
History Health Economics
History of Art Human Rights
Linguistics  Law
Music Management Studies
Philosophy  Politics
Theatre, Film and TV  Social Policy and Social Work
Sociology
  Women's Studies
Health and Medicine Other collections
Health Sciences and Nursing Citation analysis resources
Medicine Datasets and Statistics
Sciences E-book collections
Biology E-journal collections
Chemistry Government Publications
Computer Science Images and Sounds
Electronics Library Catalogues
Environment Newspapers
Mathematics Reference
Physics Search Portals
Psychology Theses
Trials

Information about MetaLib and databases

Other useful links

Why do I need to use databases?

The Library Catalogue tells you which journals we subscribe to, but it doesn't include details of the articles inside those journals.

To search for articles, you will need to use a bibliographic database. Bibliographic databases do the following:

  • Index the content of thousands of journals in all subjects, not just the journals in the Library
  • Some also index other publications such as books, dissertations or conferences
  • Often include an abstract or summary of the articles
  • Most include links to the full text of articles in journals which we subscribe to

If you are looking for data you can use a variety of other databases which cover statistical, census and map data.

You can also link to the full text of many articles from the bibliographic databases. Information on how to do this is available on our Electronic journals web page.

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What databases are available?

We subscribe to over 100 databases which are available to University of York staff and students.

All databases are listed on our MetaLib gateway. You can link to most of the databases directly from MetaLib.

There are a few databases listed on MetaLib which you cannot link to directly. These are databases published on CDROM.

Some databases need additional software installed on your PC

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How do I search a database to find information in my subject?

Below are some hints and tips on searching databases. You can use most of these on any database (available on the Web or on CDROM), Internet search engines such as Google and Yahoo, and library catalogues.

Academic Liaison Librarians provide more detailed information on searching for information in your subject. Have a look at our How do I.. web pages or contact your Academic Liaison Librarian for one-to-one help and advice.

Search hints and tips

  • You can search for words in article titles, abstracts and subject descriptions, or by author's name
  • Plan ahead - choose the words which describe your subject best. Are there any synonyms which also describe your subject?
  • Use truncation (usually * or ?) to find words beginning with a stem, for example, child* will find child or children; manag* will find management, managers or managing
  • Use a wildcard (usually ?) to replace a single character within a word to find different spellings. For example, organi?ation will find organisation or organization; wom?n will find woman or women
  • Combine your search words using:
    • and (to find all words, which narrows down your search)
    • or (to find any of the words, which expands your search)
    • not (to exclude a word)
  • Check whether your database has a subject index or thesaurus. These are lists of subject headings which describe the content of each article. Search or browse these to find the best words to search for.
  • Look for options to limit your search by date, language or type of information

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MetaLib gateway to databases

MetaLib is our gateway to the bibliographic and full text databases available to all University of York staff and students.

When you first link to MetaLib, you will be a Guest user with access to a limited number of MetaLib features.

You can do all of the following as a Guest user:

  • Use the Subjects menu to get a list of the most useful databases for your subject
  • Access any database by clicking on its title. This will take you to each database 'native' search interface
    • You may be asked to login to the database, or you may go straight to its search screen

Follow the Aleph information icon link to learn more about each database

Login to MetaLib for more features

If you are a University of York member of staff or student you have access to additional MetaLib features if you log in.

Follow the Log in link at the top right corner of the MetaLib page and enter your University network username and password.

The additional features available when you log in include:

  • MetaSearch: cross-searching of selected multiple databases at the same time
  • My Space: a personal space where you can build up lists of favourite databases, e-Journal titles, articles found with a MetaSearch and your search history
  • Automatic alerts: use your search history to set up regular automatic searches with the results emailed to you

These are described below.

Cross-searching multiple databases using MetaSearch

You can use MetaSearch to search more than one database at the same time (cross-searching).

  • Make sure you are logged in.
  • Select the check-box next to each database you want to search. If there is no check-box you can't MetaSearch that database. You can select up to 10 databases to MetaSearch at one time.
    • If you wish to cross-search databases from different subject sections, you must first pull together these databases into a list, using the My Space "My Databases" feature, which is described below
  • For a simple search, type your search term(s) into the search box and follow the GO link. MetaLib will search each database automatically, and display a window showing the number of results.
  • Follow the View link to see the results for each individual database, or a combined list of results. All the results are presented in the same, standardised, MetaLib format.
  • Follow the link from the Title of the article you are interested in to see the full reference and an abstract (if available).
  • When you follow the SFX Roundal link, an SFX menu appears in a new window. SFX checks whether you can access the full text. For more information on this, see What is SFX? on our electronic journals web page.

For more complex searches you can combine search terms in a Simple search, or you can use the Advanced search. Look at the Search hints and tips above for more information, or contact your Academic Liaison Librarian for further help. You can also click on the e-Mail 16px Feedback link on the MetaLib front screen, to send the Library an email with your question or comments.

My Space

My Space gives you a personal area where you can save a variety of useful resources. You need to log in to access My Space.

  • eShelf: build up a collection of references found during a MetaSearch
  • My Databases: build up lists of your favourite databases
  • My e-Journal: build up a list of e-Journal titles which you want easy access to
  • History: you can save your searches for future use and set up and edit automatic Alerts
  • Preferences: decide how you want your results displayed

You can find out more about these features by looking at the online Help.

Find e-Journal

You can link to the Find e-Journal service from MetaLib. For more information on using e-Journals, look at our Electronic journals web page.

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Databases published on CDROM

Databases published on CDROM can be found in two places, depending on whether it's possible to network them or not.

CDROM databases on University network PCs

A small number of databases are only available on the University network on classroom and supported staff PCs.

You will find information on how to access these from the Aleph information icon link next to the title on MetaLib, or you can go directly to the CDROM databases on University network PCs web page.

CDROMs on standalone PCs in the JB Morrell Library

There are some databases which can't be networked for technical or licensing reasons. These are available on two PCs on the ground floor of the JB Morrell Library.

The databases are listed on MetaLib and the Aleph information icon link will say Standalone CDROM PC.

Borrow the CDROM from Lending Services and take it to one of the two CDROM PCs. The software needed to run the CDROM is already installed on the PCs, and you just need to insert the CDROM and choose the title from the menu. Please remember to return the CDROM to Lending Services when you have finished.

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Databases which need additional software installed on your PC

Some databases need additional software installed on your PC to provide specialised searching facilities.

The Aleph information icon link will tell you if you need to install any software and how to do it.

Examples of databases which need special software include:

  • Some datasets which provide census and map data
  • The ebrary e-book collection

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Who can I contact if I need more help?

If you have any questions about using MetaLib or searching databases you can contact our Enquiry Service or your Academic Liaison Librarian.