Masland Library Blog

With midterms quickly approaching, you almost certainly have some sort of research paper due. Chances are, you’re procrastinating, freaking out, or both. But what if something could be done to change your approach to writing papers? What if researching the exegetical gobbledygook of blah blah blah could actually be an ADVENTURE?! What if you didn’t have to wake up at 3 AM the night before a paper is due with no resources because the library isn’t open?

“Impossible!” you scoff. “Nobody ever likes research! It’s torture, designed by professors to steal our free time and keep us off Facebook and online TV! It’s time-consuming, it’s boring, and you have to sift through tons of stuff you don’t need!” Well, my friends, allow me to introduce you to…

THE MASLAND LIBRARY DATABASES!!!!!

Imagine this situation. It’s six hours before your paper on the effects of television on cognitive development is due for an 8 AM class. The library is closed, and you’re not allowed to use Wikipedia (duh). How do you do your research? (Note: You should have done it earlier, but we’re waaay past that now.) Simple. Go to http://library.pbu.edu/ and click on the second tab (the one that says “online databases”). There are lots and lots of these (over 70). A lot of students prefer EbscoHost databases, but believe me, all of them are fantastic. Current students of Philadelphia Biblical University can go to specific databases for specific subjects (e.g. psychology, music, Old Testament), or you can just use one of the general databases. You can search through thousands upon thousands of subjects, it’s very easy to narrow down exactly what you’re looking for, and it’s legitimate research. You want to find something on peanut butter allergies in seventh grade boys with blond hair? Chances are it’s in there somewhere. Lots of them will even cite themselves so you don’t have to figure out how to cite an article in a particular format at 4 am in the morning. Convenient, huh?

Now, you don’t have to slack off on your homework in order to use the databases! They’re even more useful when you prioritize your time and do diligent, thorough research. Some databases, including EbscoHost, will allow you to email PDF and HTML versions of articles to yourself so you can keep them and look over them without having to search again or print them out. The databases are accessible anywhere, so you don’t even have to get up in order to do your research.

Well, that’s about it, folks. The secret is out. Research papers just got easier for everyone. If you want to know more about the databases, just ask a library student worker (or a Librarian)! We all know how they work, and we’d be thrilled to help out!