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Search Box Central

Click here to search the BC3 Library Catalog

Use it to find books, ebooks, DVDs in the library's collection

or browse our e-book collections: Ebook Central (Proquest) and Ebook Collection (EBSCO)

"British Columbians benefit from increased access to French resources in libraries" by BC Gov Photos is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Reference databases are

A great place to start your research
Provide definitions, introductory information, facts, vocabulary/keywords, names
Preferred over Wikipedia by your instructors
Include citations for your bibliography!
Collection of encyclopedias, reference databases, issue topic databases

Reference Databases

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Credo Reference provides Topic Pages, which offer background information on a particular topic that can give you an easy starting point and pathways for further research; Access to hundreds of in-depth subject encyclopedias and handbooks covering every major subject from Accounting to Art History and Shakespeare to Einstein; and Mind Maps that visually show relationships between topics and keywords.
Salem Press This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text online access to a range of reference works published by Salem Press in the areas of health, history, literature, and science
Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
This is currently a collection of four online reference resources: Gale Encyclopedia of Fitness, Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health, Posthumanism: The Future of Homo Sapiens, and the St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture.
Today's Science This link opens in a new window
Bridges the gap between the science learned in the classroom and the discoveries pushing the boundaries of science today. Updated weekly and containing thousands of links to a 15-year back-file, Today’s Science explains important developments in biology, chemistry, the environment, space, physics, and technology.

Issue Topic Databases

CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
CQ Researcher provides award winning in-depth coverage of the most important issues of the day. The reports are written by experienced journalists, footnoted and professionally fact-checked. Full-length articles include an overview, historical background, chronology, pro/con feature, plus resources for additional research. Graphics, photos and short "sidebar" features round out the reports. Shorter "Hot Topics" articles provide a solid introduction to subjects most in demand by students.
Issues and Controversies This link opens in a new window
Explore current issues and events with in-depth articles made to inspire thought-provoking debates. Topic pages feature the latest related news coverage from Reuters® as well as a variety of helpful background information, from the key pro/con arguments to chronologies of related events to primary documents. Updated weekly.

ProCon.org - web source that focuses on the pros and cons of controversial issues.

Find articles in EBSCOhost's General Databases (Academic Premier and MasterFile Premier).

Or search the library's Subject Databases

Business Source Premier This link opens in a new window
GreenFILE This link opens in a new window
Health Source - Consumer Edition This link opens in a new window
Health Source - Nursing/Academic Edition This link opens in a new window
Literary Reference Center Plus This link opens in a new window
Collection of literary criticism and primary literary sources.
Military & Government Collection This link opens in a new window
Newsbank This link opens in a new window
Full text articles from over 800 U.S. newspapers including local newspapers like the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Butler Eagle.
OVID Nursing Collection This link opens in a new window
Professional Development Collection This link opens in a new window
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection This link opens in a new window
PubMed This link opens in a new window
Database of medical journals.
Religion and Philosophy Collection This link opens in a new window
Vocational and Career Collection This link opens in a new window
EBSCOhost's Vocational & Career Collection is designed for vocational and technical libraries servicing high schools, community colleges, trade institutions and the general public. This collection provides full text coverage for nearly 340 trade and industry-related periodicals.
Westlaw This link opens in a new window
Database of legal journals and primary sources that include statutes (laws) and court cases.

Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes scholarly literature across an array of disciplines including peer-reviewed academic journals and books, conference papers, theses and dissertations. Some of the resources are freely available full-text, others you will need to request using the library's Article or Book Request Forms.

Ask Us

Spring Semester Hours

Monday- Thursday 8:00am - 6:00pm

Fridays 8:00am - 3:00pm

Librarians are available and ready to assist with research or technical questions. Stop by the library or contact us by Email: library@bc3.edu or use the library's Chat service or Ask/Request/Schedule options in the menu bar above.

Ask a Question

Schedule an Appointment

Interlibrary Loan a BOOK

Request an ARTICLE

Women's History Month: All- Campus Read

Please join us on Tuesday, March 28 at 12:45 PM

for a book discussion led by BC3 Assistant Professor Lindsay Lanigan

of the collection of poems, Milk and Honey.

For more information on both the book and poet,

check out our Spring 2023 Library Events guide by clicking here.

Women's History Month: Virtual Visit to the Women's Rights National Historic Park

Please join us on Thursday, March 30 at 12:45PM for a virtual visit of the Women's Rights National Historic Park, site of the first ever Women's Rights Conventions.

Interested in attending? You can register by clicking here.

For more information, check out our Spring 2023 Library Events guide.

Open Educational Resources (OER)

Interested in learning just exactly what Open Educational Resources (OER) is? Then be sure to check out an overview on OER by clicking here.

Already pretty familiar with OER? Then consider applying for the BC3 2023-2024 OER Grant Application in which you'll receive grant funds to integrate OER into a BC3 course. Access the grant application by clicking here.

Image Source

Black History Month: All-Campus Read

Please join us on Tuesday, March 21 at 12:45PM

for a virtual book talk with the author of our all-campus read for

Black History Month, Power in the Tongue.

For more information on both the book and author, check out our

Black History Month LibGuide by clicking here.

Featured Content

Black Life in America

Comprehensive coverage of the African American experience from the early 18th century to the present day
Sourced from more than 19,000 American and global news sources, including over 400 current and historical Black publications

America's Historical Newspapers (1690-2000)

Historical collection of newspapers that contains first-hand accounts of seminal events affecting American society from 1690 to 2000. The material is organized through a visual timeline-based interface but you can also use a keyword search to locate content. The resource collection is comprised of newspapers from around the country, containing articles as they appeared in print, as well as political cartoons, advertisements and obituaries.

Access World News Research Collection

Russian-Ukrainian History LibGuide

Spanning the Cold War to present-day and featuring both library and web resources, see this LibGuide for a range of topics, including foreign policy/acts of aggression by Russia towards neighboring countries, differences and similarities between Ukraine & Russia, contemporary Ukrainian history/current events and more.

BC3 Library: Home