By FPL_JohnA
Did you know that librarians have a special way to look up information on the internet? Don’t get me wrong, if a librarian needs a quick answer for something simple, they will often use Google like everyone else, but if they need serious information, they go to research databases like Academic Search Complete. I know - it’s a mouthful isn’t it? But don’t let the name fool you, this isn’t just for academics. Sure the articles in Academic Search Complete are written by subject matter experts and reviewed by other experts for accuracy, but anyone with a library card can read them and you’d be shocked at how useful they can be.
One thing that a lot of people use it for is looking up medical information. If you try to do that on Google, you’ll probably terrify yourself. But Academic Search Complete has articles written by doctors for healthcare professionals. And don’t worry, they aren’t as hard to read as you might think. I was recently asked to help someone find information on a rare health disorder. The person was recently diagnosed, and couldn’t find anything about it. Not only did Academic Search Complete have something, but there was an article written by a surgeon who specializes in the disorder that was advising other doctors on how to treat it. Amazing.
That’s not all, Academic Search Complete has articles on many topics. Lately I’ve had people asking me about cryptocurrency. I didn’t know much about it, so I went to Academic Search Complete and looked it up. I found several articles including case studies that talked about real world uses for the technology. In a short time, I was able to find out everything I needed.
Last but not least, Academic Search Complete contains every Consumer Reports article. So if you are trying to figure out which car to buy, you’re covered. Just enter Consumer Reports in the “Publication” field and you can see the same information that gets published in their guides.
If you are interested in checking it out, here’s the direct link: https://friscolibrary.com/resource/
Have fun!
