Computer and Library Learning (Archived)

There was a time, before the advent of computerized publications, when much work was required from the researcher: manual searching through indexes; verification in the library catalogue to find the sourced journal; copying by hand or photocopying of the article. The whole process could easily take one hour per article! Now searching for periodical information is much simplified through the use of what library people refer to as "databases."

The Toronto Public Library subscribes to more than 100 databases that give access to library card holders, from anywhere through the internet, to thousands of articles. All with a few clicks of the mouse.

Here is the path for doing a basic keyword search:

At top, on the library's home page, cast your gaze towards the center, just under the web site banner and

• click on FIND YOUR WAY Articles & online research
• in the search box type the keywords that best describe your topic and click Go
• enter your library card number (no spaces) and your PIN and click Sign in

You will get a list of articles from many databases. Click on the titles that interest you (displayed in blue as live links) and start researching!