The document provides an overview of the databases available through the Arlington Heights Memorial Library (AHML) and how they differ from Google searches. It notes that the AHML databases contain "hidden" content like the library catalog and subscription materials that are not accessible through regular web searches. It encourages users to search conceptually on Google when possible but also utilize the library's databases for more in-depth or specialized research needs, as the databases include premium resources covering articles, genealogy, business, investments, health, and more. Help is available from the library for using any of its database resources.

1. A Quick Overview of AHML’s Databases
Bill Pardue
Arlington Heights Memorial Library
bpardue@ahml.info

2. What Google Does
 Visits hundreds of millions of webpages and creates an
index
 Licenses selected content and learns how to give it
priority over “natural” results. (Weather, stocks, flight
info)
 A few cool computational tricks (calculator/converter)

3. What Google DOESN’T Do
 Find “hidden” content that’s the result of searches in
databases.
 Get information that’s only available to subscribers (it
may link…but you can’t read without paying!)
 Find historical information that hasn’t been made
easily available to the whole web.

4. “Hidden” Content
 Content that only appears as the result of a search…it’s
not just “browsable.”
 The AHML catalog
 Kelley Blue Book Car Values
 Illinois Sec. of State business search (URL never
changes).

5. What to do?
 Try searching google more conceptually (“car prices”
instead of “1987 Ford Escort with 235,000 miles”)
 You still need to know specific sources for specific jobs.
 That’s where the library comes in handy!

6. The “Databases” page
 Look for Research/Databases on our menus
 Leads you to dozens of premium websites for looking
up articles, investment info, health info, etc.
 Most are available from home/office (with your AHML
username & password)

7. Articles
 Use the Magazine/Newspaper articles category…or start
with the pink box!
 Finds articles from approximately 85% of our full-text
journals, across multiple databases.
 Includes some info “beyond” our databases.

8. Articles (cont’d)
 Try looking at specific resources
 Use the Magazine Articles or Newspaper Articles
categories.
 You may need to skip from source to source.

9. Articles (cont’d)
 Top tools:
 Academic Search Premier
 MasterFile Premier
 Student Resources In Context
 Lexis/Nexis Library Express

10. Genealogy
 Use the Genealogy category
 Ancestry Library Edition (in-library only)
 HeritageQuest
 America’s Obituaries & Death Notices

11. Business Tools
 Use the Business category.
 Top tools:
 ReferenceUSA: massive phone/business directory
 Business Source Premier
 Lexis/Nexis Company Dossier

12. Investment Tools
 Use the Investments Category:
 MorningStar
 ValueLine
 Standard & Poor’s

13. Health Tools
 Use the Health category.
 Health & Wellness Resource Center
 Consumer’s Checkbook

14. Miscellaneous!
 P4A (antique prices)
 Alldata/Chilton Library (auto repair)
 Mango/Visual Thesaurus (language skills)

15. Need help? Contact us!
(Google can’t do that, either…)
 Call (847-392-0100)
 Visit
 Chat help 24/7