What are databases?
Why do all the databases look so different, and have such strange names? What is a database, anyway?
A database is an online collection of citations for journal and magazine articles, book chapters, etc. They often give access to the full text of the articles online.
Database vendors or providers often have agreements with various journal publishers. The U-M Library uses these different database vendors, because journal publishers have signed agreements with a particular database vendor that the full text of their journals will only be available in that particular database. In order to have a more complete collection of journal articles available full text online, it is necessary for the library to offer these various access points and interfaces.
photo courtesy of zoovroo
As always, if you have questions about using a different database interface, librarians are happy to help!
Scholarly Journals v. Popular Magazines
Here is a brief video from Peabody Library at Vanderbilt University explaining the differences between scholarly and popular periodicals.