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Where do I start?

What is Discover Advanced?

A Venn diagram showing that Discover Advanced includes the Five College Catalog but not all of the library's databases.

 

Discover Advanced is a search tool that pulls many library resources into one single search - it's a good place to start your research. You can use it to find items in the library’s physical book and archival collections as well as digital resources including:

  • Books and e-books from the Five College catalog and a wide range of e-book databases
  • Articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers, including articles from EBSCO databases*, Alexander Street databases, JSTOR, NewsBank, and many more!
  • Online encyclopedias and dictionaries from a variety of academic publishers including Cambridge Companions, Oxford handbooks, and Blackwell Reference Online

 

What's NOT Included

 

For a number of reasons, Discover Advanced does not include everything in the libraries' collections.  Only about a third of our databases are included. Databases from ProQuest, many image and streaming video resources, and other discipline-specific databases will need to be searched directly.

Use Search Special Collections for info about searching our archival and primary resource collections.

 

➜ If you want to find the best information on your research topic, use our Research Guides, or Ask Us!

 

*What even is a database?
A database is collection of digital information structured so you can search it. You use databases every day.  Netflix is a database, for example.  In a library context, a database offers various types of sources, such as journal articles, videos, or images. Library databases will often have a specific focus, meaning you can almost always find a database tailored to your specific research needs.