Because funds for the purchase of new materials come from the Main Library budget, the final purchase decision rests with the Library. The Engineering Library provides access to over 300 online databases. These databases provide access to bibliographic information on a wide range of subjects. In most cases only a citation and abstract, not the full text of an article, is provided. These databases include online versions of print indexes such as Chemical Abstracts and Engineering Index, numerical information such as materials properties, and a limited number of full text databases.
Most databases are searchable by author, subject, or keyword.
Costs for database searching include a connect time charge which varies for each database, a telecommunication charge, a per citation print cost and a search service fee. Because it is not usually possible to predict the number of citations which will be found or the length of time needed for a search, it is not possible to predict the cost of a search in advance although a maximum cost limit can be specified before the search is done. Database searches are done by appointment. In most cases the requestor should be present for the search. Search request forms are available at the desk in the Engineering Library.