Databases are searchable collections of online content including articles from journals and newspapers, government documents, conference proceedings, legal cases and legislation, and multimedia resources. They can be general, covering various disciplines, e.g. JSTOR, or discipline-specific, e.g. Westlaw UK.
Searching databases using Discover
When you search Discover, you are searching across many databases, as well as our collections of print books, e-books and e-journals. If it's just articles you are searching for, you can refine your search under Resource Type on the right-hand side of the screen. There’s a link to a user guide for Discover below.
Searching databases using Database Search
Alternatively, you can go directly to a specific database. Go to the Library homepage, then click on Electronic Library, then Database Search. There is also a link to Database Search from within Discover on the top menu bar. If asked to sign in, enter your LJMU username (in the format username@ljmu.ac.uk) and password. The new interface allows alphabetical, keyword and subject category searches.
There are two ways to find high quality databases:
- By Subject - click on your subject category on the left to see a list of relevant databases
- By Searching - enter keywords in the search box to find a specific database
The Subject categories listed on the left menu are a new feature and offer a tailored list of relevant databases, while drilling down to ‘Key Resources’ condenses this list to highlight the most relevant for each subject. Locate your subject on the left hand menu, click on the chevron beside your subject, and the Key Resources list will appear – typically 5 key databases.
Database Search user guides
Turning to the new Database Search, where there is a user guide available you will see a link to it in the 'Public notes' section of the full record. To view the full record for any database, either click on the title or on 'Available online'.
View bespoke user guides for individual resources.
See Subject support
For further advice or learn more at Skills@LJMU
Subject Support
From the Subject Support link on the library’s homepage you will find guides containing information on using databases specific to your subject.
Collaborative partner access to library resources varies from partner to partner and resource to resource. Collaborative Staff and Students (Partner Institutions) may not have access to all library resources.