From the Secondary Source to the Primary Source Electronic Databases Electronic resources are so readily available now that some researchers no longer use printed sources to find information. Although electronic resources provide access to information, you must be careful not to rely upon them to answer all of your research needs.
Electronic databases provide opportunities for libraries to share bibliographic information.
Both primary and secondary research materials are cataloged in national databases so researchers can search many libraries at one time for information. The databases mentioned below are used by librarians for cataloging a range of materials and used by researchers to search for materials across all media. OCLC member libraries pay to have access to Firstsearch and supply catalog records of their holdings to the Firstsearch network. Firstsearch is made available to the public at libraries who pay to have access to these services. The subject databases included in Firstsearch are menu driven and user friendly.