Chapter 3: Using Databases for Accessing Information
3. Structure and Types of Databases
Structure of databases
- Understanding the structure of a database will help you locate and retrieve information more efficiently.
- The information about each item in a database is called a record. For example, the library catalog is a database. It has a record for each item (each book, journal, newspaper, video, map, etc.) located in the library.
- A database record is composed of individual elements of information called fields. All the records in a given database are composed of a common set of fields. (In the library catalog the records share common fields such as author, title, subject and call number.) These fields can be used as access points when searching a database.
Types of databases
There are several types of databases. The kind of information contained in a database determines its type. The most common types of databases include:
- Bibliographic databases - provide citations (a listing of information about the item), and sometimes include abstracts (summaries) or descriptions of the items. (For example: the library catalog, PsychINFO, MLA Bibliography)
- Full-text databases - contain the full text of a work. (For example: Facts on File)
- Numeric databases - provide mostly numeric data (numbers) such as statistics or financial data. (For example Census 2000 Redistricting Data)
- Image databases - could include art prints, photos, animations, and other types of images. (For example: Noble Foundation Plant Image Gallery, American Memory)
- Audio/Video databases - could include audio clips of sound effects and music samples or video excerpts from speeches, television shows, or other broadcast media. (For example: NPR website, BBC website, Elibrary)
- Mixed databases - combine two or more of the other database types. (For example: Academic Search Premier Fulltext (EBSCO))
