Library Resources for Faculty: Databases
New Resources for Faculty
- Latino Literature: Poetry, Drama, and Fiction This link opens in a new window Latino Literature brings together more than 100,000 pages of poetry, fiction, and over 450 plays written in English and Spanish by hundreds of Chicano, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and other Latino authors working in the United States. Also in the collection are nearly 800 items (poems, novels, and plays) that have never before been published. Researchers will also find numerous Chicano folk tales and audio files of selected poems and plays. It contains over 133,465 pages
- Latin American Women Writers This link opens in a new window Latin American Women Writers is an extensive searchable collection of prose, poetry, and drama composed by women writing in Mexico, Central America, and South America. Also included are essays by Latin American feminists that address both the universal concerns of women in every age and the distinctive issues of their struggles in the region. The database currently features 99,509 pages of prose, poetry and drama.
- Caribbean Literature This link opens in a new window Caribbean Literature is a searchable collection of poetry and fiction produced in the region during the 19th and 20th centuries. Among the titles selected are numerous rare and hard-to-find works written in English, French, Spanish, Dutch, and various Creole languages. Future releases will also feature journals, reference works, and interviews with key writers. New content is uploaded on a biweekly basis. The database currently has over 90,403 pages.
- Black Drama, 1850 to Present This link opens in a new window Black Drama, 1850 to Present contains approximately 1,462 plays by 233 playwrights, together with detailed information on related productions, theaters, production companies, and more. The database also includes selected playbills, production photographs, and other ephemera related to the plays. Some 600 of the plays are published here for the first time, including a number by major authors. The collection includes African, African American, and Diaspora authors.
- Illustrated Civil War Newspapers and Magazines This link opens in a new window Illustrated Civil War Newspapers and Magazines is a database that contains 65,000 pages drawn from 49 periodicals, including 15 campaign newspapers, most of them illustrated—3,720 issues published from 1860 to 1865. Originally printed in 16 different cities, many of the publications are now rare and hard to find, with an item sometimes extant only in a single archive.
Useful Databases for Teaching Faculty
Below is a short list of databases that teaching faculty may find particularly helpful. For a full list of databases available through the Library, please visit the A-Z Resources located on the Library website.
- Dissertations and Theses Global This link opens in a new window
Citations, abstracts, and often full text for dissertations and theses, primarily from North American institutions.
- Sage Journals Online This link opens in a new window
Search journals in the health and life sciences, social sciences, engineering, and humanities titles. Only those journals to which USC Columbia subscribes are available full text.
- WorldCat Advanced Search This link opens in a new window
Provides access to the world's most comprehensive bibliography, with over 49 million bibliographic records for audio-visual materials, books, maps, musical scores, newspapers, and periodicals in 370 languages and covering information from 4,000 years of knowledge.
Creating a Persistent Link
Learn how to create a persistent link to a journal article or online book.
What is a Persistent Link?
A persistent link is a URL that points to a specific article that is available online. Persistent links can be used to point to articles or books in Blackboard, course websites or blogs, or syllabi. They are also called “stable URLs” or “durable links."
Why Do I Need to Use Persistent Links?
Due to copyright restrictions, it is illegal to post copies of copyrighted material to course management systems (like Blackboard), and especially to class websites open to the public. Through the use of persistent links, you can protect yourself, your students, and the university. When using a persistent link, only individuals with the proper university credentials can access the material and they are tasked with generating their own copy of the reading assigned. This practice is in keeping with the Fair Use Doctrine within the United States Copyright Law and our licensing agreements with database vendors.
How Do I Create a Persistent Link?
Many databases include a persistent link or stable URL in the citation. Use these if they are available. In order to work with USCA authentication (off-campus access) links should begin with the following “proxy server” string so add this prefix to the stable URL given to you by the database:
http://ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/login?url=
Examples of Persistent Links with Proxy Server Prefix Added
Can I Create a Persistent Link from a DOI Number?
YES! DOI stands for “Digital Object Identifier” and most scientific journal articles that are electronically available have one. You can turn a DOI into a stable URL that can go through the USCA authentication system by following these steps:
- Take our proxy server prefix: http://ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/login?url=
- Add the DOI string: http://dx.doi.org/
- Add the DOI number for your article, for example doi #:10.1016/j.avb.2009.04.002
- So, with this example, the full stable URL should now read: http://ezproxy.usca.edu:2048/login?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2009.04.002
Need More Help?
Contact Natalia Taylor Bowdoin, Library Collections Coordinator, nataliab@usca.edu or 803–641–3492. You may also visit the Library website for more information.
Accessing databases off-campus
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