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Using Gale Article Databases: What are Gale Databases?

What are Gale Databases?

Gale databases provide Chemeketa students and employees with access to articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers. Ebooks, media, and company directory information can also be found with Gale databases. 

Most of the library's databases are Gale databases, but not all of them. The library subscribes to many other databases for finding articles on many research topics. To get to Gale databases and other databases from on or off campus, go to the library's database page at http://libraryguides.chemeketa.edu/az.php​. From the library's database page, you can use the All Vendors/Providers filter to limit your choices to Gale databases only.  

This guide is for searching a Gale database called Academic OneFile.  Not all Gale databases are the same but they do have common features.  

 

When Should I Use a Database?

Since Primo Library Search includes articles in its results, you may be wondering why you would bother to search in a journal article database. There are several reasons for using an individual database:

  • Noise - Say you're looking for information on zombies (computers that distribute spam) and you find articles on the walking dead, philosophy, anthropology, and other subjects; using a database that specializes in computer literature lets you focus on your topic
  • Bells and Whistles - Some databases have specialized subject headings and powerful search features; most let you search within the full text of articles
  • Thoroughness - not all database articles are included in Primo Library Search, for technical reasons; Education Full Text and CINAHL (Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), many newspapers (including The Oregonian), most images, and the databases on the Databases on the Web guide are not included in the Library Search 

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