Computer and Library Learning (Archived)

Most Librarians will tell you that one of the most frustrating reference experiences is trying to help a student who has come into the library to get resources for a project that is due the next day.  Sometimes it happens that there is a wide selection of books on the student’s topic of interest, but many times particularly in smaller libraries, books on their topic are not readily available and would need to be placed on hold and brought in from another branch. For someone who needs timely and reliable resources right away, this is not a helpful option.

An option that is helpful in this situation as well as for anyone who is interested in timely academic resources is to use the databases available through the Toronto Public Library website.  There is a wide selection of databases covering a broad range of topics including some designed specifically for children that are available through the Toronto Public Library’s KidsSpace section of the website. Customers can access these databases from any Toronto Public library computer or from home / personal computers simply by logging in with their library card.

For those interested in academic databases, the following list highlights some of the best databases for scholarly information.

Canadian Business and Current Affairs (CBCA) – Full-text business and general interest articles from popular, academic and business periodicals.

Canadian Points of View – Social issues in Canada. Essays on controversial issues from a Canadian perspective.

Directory of Open Access Journals – Full-text scientific and scholarly journals covering all subjects and many languages.

Gale Virtual Reference Library – Full text research books. Includes Business Plan Handbooks and Grizmek's Animal Life Encyclopedia.

Global Issues in Context – A selection of high-quality articles about international issues and current events, grouped by topic and country/region.

JSTOR – Archive of important scholarly journals, not current editions for arts, science and the humanities.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context – Pro/con essays on current social issues. Great for students writing assignments, presentations, debate preparation, and general research.