The UNT Libraries subscribe to hundreds of online databases, and provide access to thousands of electronic journal titles, e-books, and an array of online art, music, and media materials. This tutorial provides basic information about  finding, and getting help with these systems in general, butt if you need help, ask your librarian, Brea Henson.

Understanding the Kinds of Resources Available

UNT Electronic Databases are extraordinarily diverse.  The following list is representative, but not complete:

• Full Text:  Some contain the "full text," including actual journal or newspaper articles or other content.
• Partial Full Text:  Contents may be full text or abstracts.
• No Full Text But Still Useful:  Many electronic databases were developed as tools to help you find information in other locations such as books, journals, or even web pages.
• General Resources:  Some electronic databases cover a broad range of content areas and are considered "general resources."
• Specialized:  Others focus on one content or subject area
• Links to Articles:  More and more of our non-full text databases are now  providing a hyperlink to the full text article.  See the "Find Full Text" link in the database for details.

How to Find Electronic Databases

You essentially have two options.

1. Find it Yourself: Find information yourself using one of our search/browse systems.
2. Use a Guide or Ask for Help: Consult a "Research Guide" specifically tailored to a subject or class, or talk to a librarian via email, phone, or in person.

Find it Yourself: Using the Online Articles Search

1. Click on the "Find" Tab Above, or go back to the libraries home page.

2. You will see a tabbed search box. The "Online Articles" Search can search through millions of electronically available full-text, scholarly articles. Enter your search terms.

3. If you want to expand your criteria beyond articles to include other material types, you can do so from the advanced search.

4. On the results screen, use the left-column facet selectors to further refine your search.

Find it Yourself: Using the Databases & e-Journals section of the Catalog

As of Spring 2013, all databases and e-Journals are located by searching/browsing within the library catalog.

1. From the library homepage or on the find tab on any page, choose the "Databases & e-Journal" Tab, browse by letter, search by database name, of select a subject.
2. Click "Find Databases & e-Journals" to go directly to the catalog search screens

From the catalog, itself, you can click:

1. Databases & e-Journals from anywhere in the catalog on the "New Search" Dropdown menu at the top of the page.
2. From the menu items in the right-hand column on the catalog homepage.

Please note the key features of the main search/browse screen:

1. Databases Tab. Browse by Title, Search by Title, Browse by Subject, or choose from a list of most Used Databases
2. e-Journals Tab. Browse by Title, Search by Title or ISSN, Browse by Subject
3. Find Online Articles (Right Column): Searches for full-text articles in UNT subscriptions from one single search.  Great for getting started in a field.
4. Find e-Books (Right Column): Search for books available electronically.

On the Results Page. Note the following:

1. Linked Title: Provides direct access to the Database.  See "Access" (Above) for help with authentication.
2. Information About the Resource: Each record provides information about the Resource.  Typically this includes the title, resource type, subjects covered, a description of the contents, coverage dates, help links/tutorials, and a contact person/service for additional help.
3. Other Technical Requirements (rare):  A small number of items require special software to access.  Links will be provided where applicable.
4. About this Database Link: Provides more information about the database, typically including the contributor, resource types, and other special information.  You can also get a permanent link on this page for sharing or future use.

Find it Yourself: Using the Catalog or UNT Digital Library

These are two other options for finding electronically available items.

1. Library Catalog: You can use the "Material" select menu on the advanced search to limit your search to specific types of items such as e-Books, e-Journals, or use the "Collection" and "Location" Select Menus to find narrow the kinds of resource to general, web, music, or media items.
2. UNT Digital Library: UNT digitizes a large number of specialized collections including government documents, UNT Theses, Dissertations, and other University Scholarly Works.  More information can be found here.