This document introduces databases and provides guidance on how to search them. It explains that databases are online libraries that contain journal articles, case studies, and peer-reviewed works. It lists several databases relevant to subjects like visual culture, fashion, materials, and images. It provides an example search topic related to gender and sexuality in photography. It outlines how to perform keyword searches that find mentions of terms, and subject heading searches that find articles where the terms are the main topic. The document encourages using library databases for reliable, scholarly sources compared to Google Scholar or general Google searches. It provides library contact details for assistance.

1. Introduction to
Databases
NCAD Library Guide

2. What are Databases
Giant online libraries that hold a huge variety of
credible information with great search tools
● Journal Articles
● Case Studies
● Reviews, Analyses & Peer Reviewed Articles
● Short and specific topics : 3-8 pages long
● Paid for by the college: Not on Google
● PDF’s available to download and citations!

3. NCAD Library Databases
Search the 8 Databases on
the library website
Website: https://www.ncad.ie/library

4. Databases: When at home… Open Athens Log in!!!
● Art & Architecture Source - Visual Culture
● JSTOR - Visual Culture
● Taylor & Francis Online - Visual Culture
● Berg Fashion Library - Fashion Students
● Material Connexion (Materials Database) - Product Design Students
● Artstor (Image Library)
Indexes
● ARTbibliographies Modern
● Design & Applied Arts Index
● Full Text Finder

5. Topic: How Contemporary photography has
been used to explore gender and sexuality
Keywords:
Photography + Gender + Sexuality
● Gender = Feminine, Non - Binary,
Masculine, gender-specific
● Sexuality= Orientation, LGBTQI+, etc
● Artists: Nan Goldin, Suzy Lake, Cindy Sherman
Subject Headings: “Gender role in photography”
“Gender Identity in photography”
“Gender stereotypes in photography”

6. How to search a database – Keyword
search and Subject Heading search.
• A Keyword search looks for your own search words in the article title & abstract by
the author.
A keyword search will find articles where a word will be mentioned but may not necessarily
be the Main Topic of the paper.

7. Search by Subject Heading
• A Subject Heading search uses terms from a list of Subject Headings in the
database and will find articles where the search terms are the main topic
of the paper.
Subject Headings are added to each record by database staff who determine
the main topic of the paper.
Examples: “Gender role in Art”
“Gender Identity in Art”
“Gender stereotypes in art”

8. Nan Goldin + Gender + Sexuality
Keywords
Info Type
Source
Type

9. Subject
Headings

10. Subject
Headings
Keywords
Journals
Books
Etc
Subject
Headings

11. Library Databases
● Reliable - peer-reviewed
● Scholarly - Academic
● Better search results
● Full Articles available
● Reference and Citation software
Google Scholar
● Not always Reliable - not peer-reviewed
● Not always Scholarly - Academic
● Poor Search Functions
Google
● Not Reliable - not peer-reviewed
● Anyone can put anything there!

12. Good luck!
If you need any help or advice contact
Maeve, Tom or Ciaran at the Library in
NCAD
Maeve McElligott
mcelligottm@staff.ncad.ie