I recently completed one of my summer classes – LIS 745-Searching Electronic Databases. This was a very immersing and rewarding experience. I got a chance to explore all these great databases available at the Dominican University library. I was previously unaware of the existence of these databases and most importantly, their usefulness. It is hard to believe that I’ve completed more than half of the program without making adequate use of these databases.
One advice I would have for incoming graduate students especially adult learners, would be to first get acquainted with all the electronic resources available at their school library. Understand the contents of each database, and learn the right database that can be used for each subject area. This would make it easy to find the appropriate materials to write all those fancy research projects the instructors would be handing out later on in the program.
What I have learned is, you really never know…until you look. Most of us in the program have spent countless hours doing wild searches on the internet over research topics – unaware of these great databases right at our finger tips. It’s always a good idea to take a step further in exploring whatever tools that you have. Stepping out of your comfort zone avails you a great opportunity to make the most of all the resources at your disposal.
