Last updated: 6/23/08
Reference Databases General & Reference

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  Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost)

Provides full text for nearly 4,650 periodicals, including more than 3,600 peer-reviewed journals. Covers academic areas of study such as social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies. Updated daily. Coverage varies by publication, but generally covers the early-to-mid 1990s to present. [user guide]

  Alternative Press Index (FirstSearch)

Indexes nearly 290 alternative, radical, and left periodicals, newspapers and magazines. 1991-. Updated quarterly. Password required — please ask at Reference Desk for access. [user guide]

  ArticleFirst (FirstSearch)

Index of articles from the contents pages of journals. 1990-. Updated daily. [user guide]

  Auto Repair Reference Center (EBSCOhost)

Covers foreign and domestic car models from 1946 to present. Provides repair procedures, service bulletins & recalls, wiring diagrams, labor, specifications, and maintenance intervals. Enter your 14 digit Providence Public Library barcode when prompted.

  Biography and Genealogy Master Index (InfoTrac)

This database is a first stop index tool for learning where to look for biographical material on people from all time periods, geographical locations and fields of endeavor. Biography and Genealogy Master Index indexes any print product that includes biographical information on multiple persons. It also acts as an index to other indexes. Updated semiannually. Enter your 14 digit Providence Public Library barcode when prompted.

  Biography Resource Center (InfoTrac)

This database combines award-winning biographies from respected Gale Group sources. Biography Resource Center also includes full-text articles from hundreds of periodicals. Search for people based on one or more personal facts such as birth and death year, nationality, ethnicity, occupation or gender, or combine criteria to create a highly-targeted custom search. Enter your 14 digit Providence Public Library barcode when prompted.

  ChoiceReviews.online

Published by the Association of College and Research Libraries, ChoiceReviews.online contains brief reviews of recently-published books to assist college & university librarians in selecting materials for purchase. Reviews of electronic resources are also included. 1988-. Updated monthly. Two simultaneous users only. [user guide]

 

  Clase and Periodica (FirstSearch)

Index of Latin American journals in the sciences and humanities published in the Spanish, Portuguese, French and English languages from a number of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as from publications that focus on Pan-American issues. Includes articles, essays, book reviews, monographs, conference proceedings, technical reports, and interviews. 1975/1978-. Updated quarterly. [user guide]

  CQ Researcher

Provides access to reports researched and written by journalists, on a variety of current topics. Reports include an introductory overview; background and chronology on the topic; an assessment of the current situation; tables and maps; pro/con statements from representatives of opposing positions; and bibliographies of key sources. 1991-. Updated weekly.

  Dissertations & Theses (ProQuest)

Indexing and abstracts of Ph.D. dissertations from American universities. Current records include some dissertations from non-American universities and some masters theses. Two thirds of dissertations listed are available for purchase online. Free downloading for URI dissertations only. 1861-. [user guide]

 

  Dissertations & Theses @ University of Rhode Island (ProQuest)

Search citations and abstracts of Ph.D. dissertations from the University of Rhode Island. For dissertations and theses published after 1996, previews can be viewed and the full text of the dissertation or thesis may be downloaded for free.

  Funk & Wagnalls New World Encylcopedia (EBSCOhost)

Over 25,000 encyclopedia entries covering a variety of subject areas. Updated annually. [user guide]

  Gale Virtual Reference Library (InfoTrac)

Database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. OSL’s collection includes: Beacham’s Guide to the Endangered Species of North America, St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine, Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer, Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders, Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, Biology, and World of Earth Science. Enter your 14 digit OSL/CLAN barcode when prompted. [user guide]

 

  General Reference Center Gold (InfoTrac)

A general interest database that integrates a variety of sources in one easy-to-use interface. Use General Reference Center Gold to find articles from newspapers, reference books, and periodicals, many with full-text and images. Find the latest current events, popular culture, business and industry coverage, the arts and sciences, sports, hobbies, and more. 1980-. Updated daily. Enter your 14 digit OSL/CLAN barcode when prompted. [user guide]

  HeritageQuest Online

Provides access to a collection of research materials for tracing family history and American culture. The database includes original page images from over 25,000 books and the entire U.S. Federal Census. Census records can be searched by name, place of birth, age, ethnicity and other variables. Enter your 14 digit Providence Public Library barcode when prompted.

  InfoTrac OneFile (InfoTrac)

A one-stop source for news and periodical articles on a wide range of topics: business, computers, current events, economics, education, environmental issues, health care, hobbies, humanities. law, literature and art, politics, science, social science, sports, technology, and many general interest topics. Millions of full-text articles, many with images. 1980-. Updated daily. Enter your 14 digit OSL/CLAN barcode when prompted. [user guide]

  IngentaConnect

IngentaConnect provides free access to article summaries of millions of articles from over 30,000 publications. You may use a personal credit card to view and print online articles.

  JSTOR

JSTOR is an online archive of back runs of core scholarly journals in many disciplines. Articles may be searched by keyword or browsed by journal. JSTOR provides high-resolution, scanned images of journal issues and pages as they were originally designed, printed, and illustrated. Note that JSTOR is not a current issues database. Because of JSTOR’s archival mission, there is a gap, typically from 1 to 5 years, between the most recently published journal issue and the back issues available in JSTOR. [user guide]

  LearnATest

Online practice exams for GED, SAT, AP, Civil Service, MCAT, GMAT, LSAT and many more. Immediate scoring and answer explanations. All users must register. Enter your 14 digit Providence Public Library barcode when prompted.

 

  Library/Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text (EBSCOhost)

Indexes more than 600 periodicals, plus books, research reports and proceedings. Subject coverage includes librarianship, classification, cataloging, bibliometrics, online information retrieval, information management and more. Coverage in the database extends back as far as the mid-1960s. [user guide]

 

  LitFinder

Find poems, stories, plays, speeches, and essays. Enter your 14 digit Providence Public Library barcode when prompted.

 

  LexisNexis Academic

News, law, and business information service. Includes news from national and international newspapers; wire services and articles from hundreds of periodicals; and a number of other reference sources. All sources are full-text. Updated daily. [user guide]

  MasterFILE Premier (EBSCOhost)

Designed specifically for public libraries, this multidisciplinary database provides full text for more than 1,730 general reference publications with full text information dating as far back as 1975. Covering virtually every subject area of general interest, MasterFILE Premier also includes nearly 500 full text reference books, 84,774 biographies, 100,554 primary source documents, and an Image Collection of 235,186 photos, maps and flags. Updated daily. Enter your 14 digit Providence Public Library barcode when prompted. [user guide]

  National Newspapers (5) (ProQuest)

Indexing, abstracts, and full text of The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Christian Science Monitor. Coverage varies by publication but generally begins in 1980s. Updated daily. [user guide]

  netLibrary (HELIN)

netLibrary is a collection of thousands of electronic books on a variety of topics. The URI Library has shared access to about 7,000 netLibrary titles. netLibrary’s books are identical in format and content to the print versions of the texts. You may check them out for four hours at a time after first creating an account from within the Library.

  netLibrary (Providence Public Library)

netLibrary is a collection of electronic books on a variety of topics. If you are a cardholder at Providence Public Library, you may browse and borrow their selection of netLibrary titles after first setting up an account from within a branch of the PPL. netLibrary’s books are identical in format and content to the print versions.

  New York Times Article Archive

Search the complete backfile of The New York Times by keyword, author, or headline. Includes articles, advertisements, and listings through 1995; articles only after 1995. Full content in PDF format (1851-1995) or text-only format (1996-) may be purchased online. (Note that articles are also available on microfilm in many libraries and online in library databases.) 1851-. Updated daily.

 

  Newspaper Source (EBSCOhost)

Selected full text for nearly 30 national (U.S.) and international newspapers. The database also contains full text television & radio news transcripts and selected full text for more than 200 regional (U.S.) newspapers. Updated daily. Enter your 14 digit Providence Public Library barcode when prompted.

  NoveList (EBSCOhost)

Your Guide to Fiction. Readers advisory service to assist fiction readers in finding new authors and titles they might enjoy. Includes adult, young adult, children's and easy fiction. Look for reading interest matches by searching by favorite author, favorite title, plot, subject, genre, or award. Enter your 14 digit Providence Public Library barcode when prompted.

  OCLC Electronic Books (FirstSearch)

Records for all online electronic books cataloged by OCLC members, including all subjects. Updated daily. [user guide]

  OCLC Electronic Collections Online (FirstSearch)

Bibliographic information on articles from over 5,400 journals in all subject areas. 1995-. Updated daily. [user guide]

  Oxford English Dictionary

Electronic version of the Oxford English Dictionary with search capabilities.

  Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (InfoTrac)

One-stop source for information on social issues. Access viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles. Enter your 14 digit Providence Public Library barcode when prompted.

  PapersFirst (FirstSearch)

Citations to papers from every congress, symposium, conference, exposition, workshop and meeting received at The British Library Document Supply Centre. 1993-. Updated semiweekly. [user guide]

  ProceedingsFirst (FirstSearch)

Citations to every congress, symposium, conference, exposition, workshop and meeting received at The British Library Document Supply Centre. 1993-. Updated semiweekly. [user guide]

  Providence Journal Archives

Database of articles published in the Providence Journal. Search results provide the headline, date, author, and a few lines of article text. The electronic full text of articles is available for a fee. (Articles are also available on microfilm at most Rhode Island libraries). 1983-. Updated daily.

  Providence Journal-Bulletin (ProQuest)

Full-text index of the Providence Journal-Bulletin. Includes staff-written articles only. 1988-. Updated daily. [user guide]

  Readers’ Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982 (WilsonWeb)

Access almost 100 years of cultural history with references to over 3 million articles that appeared in 373 leading U.S. magazines as far back as 1890. [user guide]

  Reference USA — Residential (InfoUSA)

Find directory information for 120 U.S. households. Custom search allows searching by many criteria. Mapping tool shows location of residence. [user guide]

  RefWorks (CSA)

Web-based, bibliographic management service. Import citations from online databases to create your own personal bibliographic database. Automatically format your papers and bibliographies in any of almost 150 bibliographic formats (e.g. APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, CBE, etc.). To begin, set up your personal profile by creating a unique username and password while on campus or otherwise connected to the Internet via the URI Network. Once registered, you may access RefWorks from any computer. If you are accessing RefWorks remotely, you will be asked for the University of Rhode Island Group Code. It is URIREFWORKS. [online tutorial]

  SPIN (InfoEd International)

Database of research opportunities. Includes up-to-date listings of national and international funding sources (government, non-government, and private agencies). Searches may be conducted using keywords, sponsors, geographical or citizenship restrictions, deadline dates, etc. SPIN Links to GENIUS for creating alerts and identifying potential collaborators, as well as to US Patent Search and US Geo Search.

  TOPICSearch (EBSCOhost)

This current events database allows researchers to explore social, political & economic issues, scientific discoveries and other popular topics discussed in today’s classrooms. TOPICSearch contains full text for over 139,800 articles from more than 4,800 diverse sources. Updated daily. Enter your 14 digit Providence Public Library barcode when prompted. [user guide]

  Web of Science (ISI)

Web access to ISI citation databases (Science Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index). Contains citations to articles from nearly 8,500 of the most prestigious, high impact research journals in the world. The ability to search by cited reference allows the user to uncover the research that influenced an author’s work or to navigate forward in time to discover a paper’s impact on current research. 1998-. Updated weekly. [user guide] [online tutorial]

  World Almanacs (FirstSearch)

Contains content from Funk & Wagnall’s New Encyclopedia, The World Almanac and Book of Facts, The World Almanac of the U.S.A., The World Almanac of U.S. Politics, and The World Almanac for Kids. 1998-. Updated annually. [user guide]

  World Book Online Reference Center

Includes the multi-media World Book Encyclopedia, a Reference Library with primary resources from U.S. History and Political Science and Law, plus a Spanish language encyclopedia. Enter your 14 digit OSL/CLAN barcode when prompted.

  WorldCat (FirstSearch)

Catalog of books and other materials in libraries worldwide. Updated daily. [user guide]

 

  WorldCat Dissertations & Theses (FirstSearch)

Database of all dissertations and theses available in WorldCat. Updated daily. [user guide]