Online Resources Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• What is an "online resource"?
• What can I use an "online resource" for?
• Doesn't Google do that?
• So how are the online resources different from Google
• What are Proquest, Ebsco, Infotrac, Galenet, etc. and need I care?
• Who pays for these databases?
• Do I need my library card to use the online resources?

Q - What is an “online resource"?
A – Simply put, it is a collection of information that is made available to lots of people through the Internet. Another commonly used and somewhat more intimidating name is “database.”

Q - What can I use an "online resource" or "database" for?
A - Need to find newspaper or magazine articles on emergency deck repair and on tort reform? Need an article about Vlad the Impaler's war on the Turks? Need a medical encyclopedia to figure out what melatonin is anyway? These resources may very well have what you are looking for.

Q - Doesn't Google do that?
A - No. Google only searches freely available information placed on web pages, and that is only a fraction of what is available through the Internet. Additionally, anybody can put something up on the Internet. That professional looking Vlad the Impaler website could actually be some sixth grader's school project.

The databases, on the other hand, usually provide access to information that was published elsewhere first: either in mainstream publications such as the New York Times, Consumer Reports, or Newsweek, or in more obscure titles such as the Journal of Accountancy, Painting & Wallcovering Contractor or Literary and Linguistic Computing. These articles are usually under copyright. If they are put on the World Wide Web so that search engines like Google can find them, then the copyright holder would not get paid.

Q - So how are the online resources different from Google?
A - The databases are the property of various companies that gathered together the articles or information about the articles (such as author, title, subject, etc.) and organized them electronically. They pay fees to the copyright holders and charge a fee for access to the articles. Libraries purchase access for patrons.

Q - What are Proquest, Ebsco, Infotrac, Galenet, etc. and need I care?
A - These are some of the companies that provide the online resources. This is important because each company organizes things differently. As a result, the way you look for things depends upon the company whose database you are using because each company has its own search methodology.

Q - Who pays for these databases?
A - The Larchmont Public Library is part of a county-wide consortium that pays for many of the databases. Others (NYS NOVEL) are purchased by New York State using federal grant money.

Q - Do I need my library card to use the online resources?
A - You may be asked to provide your library card's 14 digit barcode (no dashes or spaces) to get access to the databases.

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