|
|
|
|
|
|
Periodical Articles:
The Foster Business Library subscribes to about 800 business-related periodicals. The Foster Business Library Periodicals Collection is located on the ground floor of the library, at the west end, and is arranged alphabetically by title from A (to the north) to Z (to the south). By clicking on the titles on this list, you can determine which ones have full text available online and for what time periods; most (but not all) Foster periodicals are available in full text. The Libraries also offers access to a long list of Electronic Journals in Business and Economics.
By comparison to the 800 periodicals in the library's collection, the Foster Business Library's full text periodical article databases offer over 12,000 publications, with over 100 million articles, available in the library, at home, or in your office or favorite coffee café. The main databases are ProQuest Databases and LexisNexis Academic Universe, with Factiva a third choice (but available only in UW Business School buildings, not off-campus). These databases may be found, arranged alphabetically, under Business Databases on the Foster Business Library homepage.
While there is some overlap in the periodicals offered by these databases, each of them has unique content that makes them essential for some kinds of research. Even when more than one database offers a particular periodical title, the years of coverage can vary among the databases as can the availability of graphs, photos and illustrations. Each of the databases has special strengths and unique features. Each of the databases operates somewhat differently, using different terms for similar things. It can take a little time to learn how to use these databases but most people find one that they prefer over others. With the ProQuest databases, at least, there is a uniform interface.
To exploit the full text periodical databases, be creative with your search phrases and try out different terms. Each of the databases has help available online.
Full Text Article Databases:
Another database, sometimes useful for social sciences and business articles:
Accessing business databases is very easy in the Foster Business Library where there are over three dozen public workstations with the Foster Business Library website as their homepage. Under Business Databases on this homepage are listed over two dozen of the most commonly used business databases.
The Libraries' databases are restricted by contract to University of Washington students (currently enrolled) and to University faculty and staff (currently employed). Because most of these databases are expensive, access to them must be restricted in order to keep costs within reasonable limits. To access these databases from off campus, UW users must be authenticated in some way.
The easiest way to access library databases from off-campus is to go to the Foster Business Library homepage and click on Off-Campus Access in the upper right corner; you will be asked for your UW Net Id. You can also access these licensed Libraries' databases from off campus via the UW Connectivity Kit, also known as UWICK, and the UW Libraries' Proxy Server. Using these tools, UW students, faculty and staff can access many (though not all) library databases from off campus; these tools authenticate library users and allow databases to be accessed without the complications of passwords.
See also the Foster Business Library's Business & Economics FAQ, and, in particular, the section for Business Databases.
For research guides on a wide variety of industries, products, companies, issues and topics, see the Team Librarian Consultation archives.