Tacoma Community College Library: ENGL 102: Endicott, S. (Fall 2024): Library resources and search tips

Library databases, pay walls, and Open Access

The TCC Library is a great place to find books and articles about PAR work. Some of the things you can find in these databases are not available for free on the web - paywalls are in place and are very expensive for scholarly research articles. But many PAR research articles are Open Access*, which is truly in-keeping with the PAR philosophy! Most library database searches will also put in you in touch with Open Access articles, so it is very convenient.

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*What is Open Access? Open access is a publishing model for scholarly communication that makes research information available to readers at no cost, as opposed to the traditional subscription model in which readers have access to scholarly information through an agency that pays the subscription fees, usually via libraries. (Open Access https://www.openaccess.nl/en/what-is-open-access).

Recommended TCC Library databases

Here is a selection of recommended databases from the TCC Library. While these are recommended, the Library subscribes to over 60 databases, and it is possible that you will find articles about PAR and PAR related aspects in databases that are not listed here.

TCC Library with tabs to the Catalog and the Research Databases

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
(Ebsco) Periodical database. This multi-disciplinary database covers most disciplines taught at TCC. Most articles are scholarly.
CINAHL with Full Text This link opens in a new window
(Ebsco) The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health with Full Text provides access to over 600 journals from the fields of nursing and allied health.
ERIC This link opens in a new window
(Ebsco) Education Resources Information Center -- Education literature and resources. (Look to the right of the abstract for the "Download full text" link.)
Ethnic Diversity Source This link opens in a new window
(Ebsco) Covers the culture, traditions, social treatment, and lived experiences of ethnic groups in the United States, with peer-reviewed journals, magazines, e-books, biographies, and primary source documents.
Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition This link opens in a new window
(Ebsco) Coverage of nursing and allied health topics, including pediatric nursing, critical care, mental health, nursing management, medical law and more.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Full text of a range of academic journal articles and primary sources. TCC's collection includes: "Archival Journal / Primary Source Collections." Good coverage of history, sociology, anthropology, literature, and economics. All images from Artstor are now on JSTOR!
ProQuest Periodical Databases This link opens in a new window
Multiple periodical databases providing coverage of a wide range of topics, with a mix of popular and scholarly sources. Particularly good for current events.
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection This link opens in a new window
(Ebsco) More than 500 full-text journals, covering the fields of psychology, behavioral sciences and related disciplines.

Searching Library databases

The following are pre-recorded video tutorials about searching JSTOR and searching EBSCO database company's TCC Library databases, which make up the majority of the Library databases, and they all share a similar interface and functionality.. Below, I will give you some tips about searching for PAR and PAR-related topics.

Books and eBooks

The TCC Library has three large book databases. The "Library Catalog" searches for print books, and eBooks held in our two electronic book databases, E-Book Central and Ebsco Academic eBook Collection.

Library Catalog This link opens in a new window
Find items on the TCC library's shelves, as well as digital books from our ebook collections.
Ebook Central This link opens in a new window
Over 180,000 electronic books, with broad coverage on academic topics. Viewable with your web browser; also downloadable to e-readers or e-reader apps with some restrictions.
eBook Collection (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Over 200,000 electronic books, covering a large selection of multidisciplinary academic subjects. Books can be read through a web browser or downloaded.