On this page, learn about library databases and the EBSCO Discovery Service search tool. See suggestions of databases that work well for CMTH 102 assignments and watch search video tutorials for them. Suggested online, open-access databases are also included. Learn about interlibrary loan to request items that the library does not have in it's collections.
Databases are online collections of information sources that the library pays and subscribes to so students can use them. They often contain publications that are not easy to find or access elsewhere online.
Our Databases list shows all the databases the library subscribes to, listed in alphabetical order by name. It includes descriptions of the type of information you will find in each.
Once you are on the list, if you aren't sure which database to use for your topic, you can filter the databases by subject and database type to find ones that will work best for your needs. The libraries' video on Database Selection shows how to navigate the Databases list.
When working with the library's subscription databases, you may be prompted to log in with your NCC account (Workday / student id number and password) in order to use our databases off-campus.
Our databases can contain a lot of different types of information sources, such as scholarly sources, peer-reviewed sources, journal articles, magazine articles, newspaper articles, reference articles, ebooks, chapters or sections of books, streaming videos, and other media and publications. Each d
atabase might include different publications and sources than the others do.
EBSCO Discovery Service is a special search tool found on the library's homepage and on the A-Z Database list that tries to search all of our databases and resources (including SpartaCat) at once. When using this tool, your choice of search keywords and application of search filters (especially Full-Text) is very important. Do not hesitate to switch keywords or mix and match and try different combinations of keywords. If you are getting many results that are not useful, consider trying a smaller, more directed search in a single database.
Credo Reference works especially well for informative, demonstrative, or persuasive speech assignments.
Watch this video tutorial to see how a search in Credo Reference works:
Gale eBooks works especially well for informative, demonstrative, or persuasive speech assignments.
Communication Source is best used for assignments related to the study, art, or science of communication. It can be used to find information about communication theories, skills, and techniques.
EBSCO Discovery Service works for almost any type of assignment or topic, but sometimes the search keywords and filters you choose affect how relevant and useful the results are.
Watch this video tutorial to see how a search in EBSCO Discovery Service works:
You can find more video tutorials for our databases on the NCC Libraries YouTube channel.
If you don't see a video on a channel for a database or resource you want to use, you may be able to find one from another channel by searching the rest of YouTube for the database name.
Gale in Context Opposing Viewpoints is especially useful for argumentative/persuasive speeches, but it often can be used for informative speeches too.
Watch this video tutorial to see how a search in Gale in Context Opposing Viewpoints works:
CQ Researcher is especially useful for argumentative/persuasive speeches, but it often can be used for informative speeches too.
Issues & Controversies is especially useful for argumentative/persuasive speeches, but it often can be used for informative speeches too.
If our databases aren't enough, there are some similar resources available online:
You may discover an article that would be useful for your topic, only to find that the library does not have full-text access to it through our databases.
If that happens, you can submit an interlibrary loan request, and we will see if another library that has that article and is willing to share it with us. Sometimes, the articles can even be sent to you via email. Plan ahead. Articles may take 2-3 days to arrive.
Speak to a librarian if you need help with the request.