The J.D. Williams Library obtained three new databases that offer faculty, staff and students an efficient way to access a wide range of research information. With the help of the Office of the Provost and the College of Liberal Arts, the library now has One Search, History Vault and three new Gender Studies databases.
One Search, powered by Summon, offers researchers a place to search quickly through books, journals, articles and various other research materials. With its speed, simple interface, breadth of searching and unified searching experience, One Search offers library users easy access to the library’s collections.
“We have already been hearing how much users like Summon,” said Gail Herrera, assistant dean for technical services and automation and associate professor. “It has made researching easier by bringing together library resources.”
The library is especially excited about the History Vault and Gender Studies databases. Until recently, the library did not have many databases with primary sources on African-American studies. With the help of the Oscar and Edith Ainsworth Endowment, the library was able to purchase these databases.
The ProQuest History Vault: The African American Freedom Struggle offers researchers fast access to several primary sources on African-American history. The sources and papers from this vault are from the civil rights era and range from files on the Tuskegee Airmen to Martin Luther King Jr.’s FBI files. Half of the collection is organizational papers and photos, while the other half is government records.
The Gender Studies, LGBT and Women’s Studies International databases include coverage of gender studies issues. The databases include articles, journals, books and government reports. In total, the databases contain more than 921,000 sources that span the last 40 years.
“I am excited that we can offer students and faculty more diverse research and that the university community is moving into a more inclusive than exclusive era,” said Amy E. Mark, coordinator of library instruction.
The library hopes to raise more money to buy another history database on African-American newspapers. To access these databases, visit http:// www.library.olemiss.edu/guides/ glossary/dbases-az.