Databases are compilations of information in an organized and searchable system.
An example of a database you're probably quite familiar with is Netflix. Netflix is a database of movies. It's a bunch of movies organized in a way that's very logical. It's organized and broken down by subject areas such as Comedies and Action films. These subject areas are a way of helping you search for information. You can also type in keywords into Netflix such as a title, actor's name, or director's name in Netflix and that information will pop up in the form film results.
When we're talking about library databases, we're going to be talking about databases that more or less are scholarly sources containing peer reviewed journal articles. Some of our library databases may contain other less scholarly information, but what you're going to be looking for in this course is typically going to be scholarly peer reviewed material. Please check out the "What Are Scholarly Sources" tab on the left for more information.
