Recomendo entender às necessidades de pesquisa não só dos nossos usuários, mas também da nossa equipe, proporcionando acesso a arquivos extensos e ferramentas de pesquisa avançadas. Com interfaces intuitivas e recursos como rastreamento de citações, essas bases de dados são fundamentais para nossas atividades acadêmicas e de pesquisa.

Research databases have helped to transform the layout of many academic libraries: JSTOR, say no more! Before JSTOR, many libraries maintained back issues of periodicals and journals that required incredible amounts of shelf space. As students and faculty became more comfortable with this and other academic resources, some of these collections have disappeared. Today's academic libraries have reapportioned space differently due to the popularity and utility of databases with an academic focus. While some back issues of serials and indices may remain in the stacks, much of that space has been repurposed into collaborative learning areas, group study rooms, computer labs, and similar areas that no longer resemble what was there earlier.

Top research database subscriptions for professionals include Academic Focus databases, which are indispensable because they offer a collection of peer-reviewed journals, articles and conference proceedings that cover a broad range of academic disciplines for students, lecturers and scholars. The Multidisciplinary Access research database is also a must in any library. They provide a one-stop shop for resources across various fields. This makes them a perfect platform for patrons whose research spans multiple disciplines. They contain a mix of scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers, among other publications. Further, the Specialised Collection research database offers in-depth research on specific academic fields.

As a fresh graduate, I recommend subscribing to journals on ScienceDirect, because the journal publications are from experts who are up to date.

Multidisciplinary access resources are perfect for academic libraries that focus primarily on undergraduate education (especially junior and community colleges) and public libraries that have a number of adult learners with some post-secondary education. Such databases are great for undergrads taking core courses (such as Comp I and Comp II) that need a resource with some scholarly focus, but also general works. Although many larger academic libraries also subscribe to these databases, students at the graduate level may focus more on discipline-specific resources. Joint-use libraries (such as community colleges that also offer access to those with local public library cards) benefit from having these resources for their patron base.

Digital archives at various institutions will hold a variety of records. Some specialized collections, such as the holdings of a corporate library, may have access restrictions (so people at Pepsi can't get the Coke formula), but annual reports and other content may be publicly available. A growing number of colleges and universities have developed trusted digital repositories that maintain records of their organization, local history collections, and other materials. Many maintain "official" records, such as documentation related to their accreditation, faculty governance records, and digital theses/dissertations. Some items may be under "embargo"--or closed to access--for a period of time. If unsure where to look, check with a librarian!

Many researchers needing government information have benefited from the growing amount on online resources now available. For example, current and historic property appraisal records, topographic maps from the US Geological Survey, and similar resources allow people to access a variety of information that once required a visit to a government documents repository. In addition, stand-alone digital archives and their aggregators (Such as the Digital Public Library of America, dp.la, and Internet Archive) maintain a treasure trove of important information. Not all digitized newspapers are on subscription databases. Some that have been digitized are available through online portals maintained by local libraries and museums.

Ao selecionar assinaturas de bases de dados de pesquisa, priorizo aqueles com foco acadêmico, como JSTOR e ProQuest, devido à sua ampla gama de periódicos acadêmicos e artigos de pesquisa. Também, as assinaturas com coleções especializadas, como PubMed para ciências da saúde e IEEE Xplore para engenharia e tecnologia, pois atendem às necessidades específicas de nossa comunidade de usuários.

De modo geral, é preciso avaliar a qualidade do suporte ao cliente e a relação custo-benefício para garantir que estamos investindo em recursos que atendam às necessidades de nossa comunidade de usuários de forma eficaz e eficiente.

Remember that not all resources have been digitized, and it's highly likely that many will never be. Those who do their research by limiting queries to a search engine--no matter how thorough it claims to be--are missing out on information that may be sitting in a repository waiting for them. When unsure of where to look on subscription-based and open access databases, talk with your nearby reference librarian. They have the skills to help you locate valuable resources and, often, how to distinguish the benefits and limitations of different electronic resources. As a second step, also check with archives, special libraries, and special collections areas of libraries to see if there may be uncataloged and non-digitized items of value.