WLAC Library Online Database Scavenger Hunt Last Updated 11/21/17 Start your Scavenger Hunt at the WLAC Library Homepage. In your own words, describe…

WLAC Library Online Database Scavenger Hunt


Last Updated 11/21/17

Start your Scavenger Hunt at the



WLAC Library Homepage.

1. In your own words, describe what an online database is.

Online database is a website that provides professional database support. Online database puts the database on the server, which can provide users with 24 hours of continuous accessibility. Generally, authorization is required to access professional online database.

2. How many databases does the Gale Group offer?

3. Generally, which Gale Group database(s) would be better for you to do general research?

4. Which Gale Group database would be the best to use if you were doing a research project on diabetes?

5. Which Gale Group database would be the best to use if you were doing research on Amy Tan, who is a contemporary author?

6. Go into Lexis Nexis and click on one of the topics in in Hot Topics Links. What topic did you click on? __________How many articles are there?______________

7.  Refine these results by searching an additional word within the results.What additional word did you use?_________ How many articles resulted?_______

8. List all the ways you can send yourself the article (see the symbols in upper-right hand corner.)

9. Click back to the main LexisNexis page. How can one search articles topically? (by topic or subject matter)

10. Click all the way back to the WLAC Research Databases index. How does the CQ Researcher index (list, display) its information? Circle one: By Year / By Topic

11. If you wanted to research information on a scientific topic, what seems the best database in which to look? (Skim over the database titles and tell me what you would choose. Don’t overthink it.)

12. Scroll down to the bottom of the WLAC research database Index and enter the LAPL page. Click on “Research and Homework” and scroll down to the WorldCat database, a fantastic source for research. According to the description, WorldCat contains a “catalog of books and other materials in libraries worldwide back to” what year? _________

13. Click back to the WLAC research database Index and enter Google Scholar. Type in “David Bailey Airship” into the search bar. Click on the first article. What does the abstract say the article is about? (-as best as you can understand it; even one word is fine…)

14. Click back to the results of that search. How many times has that article been cited in other articles? (Citations are listed below the article by clicking on the quotation marks.)

15. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. What does the “Create an Alert” tool do?

16. Why might it be better to look at databases or Google Scholar BEFORE a general internet search?