"What the heck is a database?"
A library database is a searchable collection of digital items (such as journal or newspaper articles). Database companies collect these items to fill their databases. They then charge an access fee to organizations or individuals who wish to access the information stored in their databases.
MCC Library Services pays that access fee for faculty, staff, and most students (with the exception of continuing-education students.) In fact, we provide you with access to 162 databases. View the Databases A-Z list to see a description of every database we provide.
If you are studying Communication, the most appropriate databases for your needs are listed below (though you can still use the search tool on the library's homepage to search every database simultaneously and then narrow results by using the subject filter on the left side of the results screen).
For your information:
Academic Search Complete, the library's largest multidisciplinary full-text database, is suitable for searching in most subject areas and provides access to articles from peer-reviewed sources, academic journals, magazines, newspapers, conference proceedings, primary source documents, and book excerpts. This link defaults to the Advanced Search interface, but there is a Basic Search link option offered at the search screen.
Gale In Context: Biography offers authoritative reference content alongside magazine and journal articles, primary sources, videos, audio podcasts, and images. Covering a vast array of people from historically significant figures to present-day newsmakers, it’s continuously updated to ensure researchers have access to the very latest information.
Gale in Context: College is intended for research in most subjects for college research assignments, providing access to news, research, and reference. News information comes from newspapers, radio and television transcripts, and some video news sources. Research information comes from journals and magazines. This College resources also provides access to articles from electronic reference books.
Gale in Context: Environmental Studies provides a search to explore environmental issues that affect people globally through topic overviews, journals, news, and multimedia content.
This Newsbank collection provides cover to cover full text and some image editions of major Texas newspapers, including the Waco-Tribune Herald, Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, Austin American-Statesman, and Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
