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Consider taking a deep dive in a library database

Many of us can remember, and perhaps still have, family recipes scrawled on index cards and packed into little boxes. Before computers, data was saved on paper — in journals, file cabinets, and library card catalogs. Remember the Dewey Decimal System? Fun fact: It’s still in use, though today in hard copy and electronic form.

Since their beginnings in the 1960s, databases have come a long way. Today, members of the U community may access an abundance of curated online content via Marriott Library's A-Z databases. Here’s a small sample of what you’ll find:

  • Kanopy streams “thoughtful entertainment” on your preferred device with no fees or ads.
  • Theater majors (and theater buffs), might enjoy Drama Online (login required), a digital library of playtexts, filmed live performances, audio plays, and scholarly books.
  • Budding biologists and casual birders, flock to Birds of the World, an ornithology research database that features more than 10,000 species and billions of eBird observations.
  • Feeling existential? The Philosopher's Index is a bibliographic database dedicated to abstracts of scholarly research in all areas of philosophy.
  • The Poetry & Short Story Reference Center contains selected works of American and English poets, along with international poetry from every continent (accompanied by English translations, when available).
  • Anatomy.TV is a suite of 3D interactive models of human anatomy accompanied by MRIs, X-rays, live-action movies, and animations.
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Last Updated: 1/6/23