DATABASES

Definition
• A database is an organized collection of structured information, or data,
typically stored electronically in a computer system. A database is usually
controlled by a database management system (DBMS).
Characteristics
• It is an organized, integrated collection of data.
• It can be referred to by all relevant applications with relative ease and with no (or, in
practice, limited) duplication of data.
• It is a model of the natural relationships of the data in the real-world environment.
Properties
• Databases are integrated with provisions for different applications.
• These eliminate or reduce duplication of data.
• These enhance data independence by permitting application programme to be
insensitive to changes in the database.
• These permit shared access.
• These permit finer granularity.
• These provide facilities for centralized control of accessing and security control
functions.
Bibliographic Database
• descriptive information about documents—books, periodical articles—the data typically
included in these databases are titles, authors, journal names, volume and number,
dates, keywords, abstracts, etc. I
Bibliographic databases can be divided into
two categories
(1) Internal databases and associated services: Created by libraries and information centers
of their published holdings, such as: books, serials, articles in periodicals, proceedings of
conferences, subject reports, etc. manuscripts, theses, etc.

(2) External databases and associated services: comprise online catalogues:

(a) Abstracting and citation databases like PSYCINFO, the machine-readable counterpart of
Psychological Abstracts.

(b) Local, metropolitan, regional, national and international bibliographic networks.

(c) Databases of indexes to newspaper e.g. New York Times Information Index or National
Newspaper Index published in USA.

(d) Databases of union catalogues e.g. National Union Catalogue of scientific serials in India
(INSDOC).

(e) Databases of references services like Ulrich’s Periodical Directory. (f) Full text databases
provide the relevant information directory and give complete texts of documents
Full Text Database
• full text of the document and tells source also, hence we can get primary information
along with full text. E.g. The New York Times via NEXTS.
Numeric Database
• Contains numeric, statistical or survey type information to give answers to numeric
queries.

• Difference in Bibliographic and Numeric database

what is the diameter of mars? The answer of the same may be obtained 6972 km from
numeric database. While in bibliographical databases, a list of so many documents is
obtained for answering these types of queries. Bibliographic reference may be available
in numerical databases from which the information is obtained.
Evaluation
• For the scope of database, it is considered that all the periodicals, journals, reports,
documents, etc., which are indexed and abstracted in printed forms, are included in the
database or not.
• Whether the manufacturer or the vendor has clarified that which periodicals are indexed
in the database and which are indexed on the selection basis? The publishers who print
the index, use this method occasionally, but manufacturers of the databases never use
this method.
• The periodicals which are indexed in the database, whether their publication addresses
along with short names of the publisher are given in the database or not?
• Whether ISSN has been used or not?
• How much database is overlapping and how it can be updated?
• Whether the database represents citation/reference only or represents the abstracts also?
• Whether the full bibliographical details of the periodicals is given in the database or
not? It is very difficult to get information about the required document without full
bibliographical details of the periodical.
• Which method is used in indexing? And for that how analysis of the subject is done?
The used method should be in that position, so that the retrieval of information may be
possible from the points such as year, language, geographical location and other items.
• Whether the number of search terms and Boolean operators have been used properly?
The Boolean operators make the searching work easy and simple.
• Whether in indexing the specific terminology for online database is used or not? The
simple terminology cannot be used to represent the micro and extensive thoughts of the
subjects?
• How much is the effectiveness of the access points in the databases which are
represented for search? i.e. the terms under which the organization of searching is, how
they are helpful in search?
• Whether the vender of the database has provided rules, regulation and guidance for
using the database or not? In this way, the databases which are evaluated on the
measures and criteria that have been stated above are most useful to the users.