Electronic Searching Techniques
	Database Structure

A database is any collection of information that is organized according to some principle or rule. A telephone book is a database. It is organized alphabetically. The Library's main book collection is also a database. It is organized according to the Library of Congress Subject Classification System. The Web as a whole is not a database; it is not organized. The Yahoo subject directory, on the other hand, is a database. It is organized by subject.

NOTE: Although technically a database can be any organized collection of information, the term usually implies an electronic format. We use it in this sense at the HSU Library. The Quick Link to Databases on the Library's homepage goes to a list of over 100 electronic databases that the Library subscribes to. Most of these are indexes to periodical articles and other literature. For information on these resources, see OWL 3.

An electronic database is made up of records. In the HSU Library Catalog, each book or journal or video, etc., has a record. In the Academic Search database, each periodical article has a record.

Records are made up of fields, with specific information about each record.

The databases you will use for academic research have records that describe books, articles, conference papers, Webpages, etc. Their fields have information such as author, title, subject, date of publication, abstract, etc.

This diagram shows the relationship of a database, its records, and their fields:

Database Structure