The Library is providing trial access for students and faculty to two journal databases. EBSCOHost's Academic Search FullTEXT Elite contains full text for more than 1,000 scholarly journals, with abstracts and indexing for more than 3,100 journals. It holds more than 3,000,000 articles in all.
The second EBSCOHost database, Business Source Elite, includes full text for about 740 business journals and abstracts and indexing for more than 1,500 journals.
"We don't have any solid statistics yet on how many times [the databases] were visited," said Henry DuBois, acting associate director at the Library. "But we have had a few responses so far, and they have been very positive."
The trial run, which began in March, will help determine which reference products the Library purchases as it tries to meet the demand for full-text databases. DuBois said the Library also plans to test a competing database, ProQUEST Direct, soon.
"Our biggest consideration in using a database," DuBois added, "is whether it has the journals students need most in their studies. Quality ... and price are smaller considerations."
DuBois reported that, from his personal use of the products, the databases' operations are quick and the print commands and interface are clear to the user.
Citations and articles can be printed or downloaded at the desktop.
DuBois also said estimating a price for the EBSCOHost products is difficult because the Chancellor's Office provides a consortium price, in partnership with other California State University system campuses, that offers big discounts on such purchases.
EBSCOHost, which is a subscription agent for libraries and acts as a mediary between them and periodical publishers, informed the Library of the two new databases.
Access to the reference products is available in three ways: for anyone, in the electronic reference area of the Library on certain terminals; for those with CSULB academic computing accounts, through the CSULB Library Home Page (Trial Products listing under Electronic Resources); for those with Internet service providers, through a password that can be obtained at the Library.