Custom database collections are databases of indexed, full text, and imaged newspapers or journals designed to meet special reference needs within your community.
You may work with your Cengage Learning Representative to build a truly customized set of titles for specific departments, classes or community interests. You can choose from the entire corpus of indexed and full-text articles contained in the Gale OneFile periodical product line.
Custom databases use the Gale Power Search interface. Therefore, the product-specific settings you make for Gale Power Search will apply to your custom databases.
When your institution or location has subscribed to one or more custom databases, you can use the screens listed below to organize and display your collections.
Custom Databases Summary
At the Institution or Location level, you can view the list of custom database collections that have been set up for the level you are at, including number of titles purchased and number currently in use. This page also provides a link to download to a spreadsheet containing all periodical and newspaper titles that are available for that level.
The Custom Databases Summary page displays a list of custom database collections available for the institution or location you are currently viewing.
Your Cengage Learning Representative must initially create the custom database for you based on which titles you wish to purchase. A custom database contains either newspaper content or periodical content, but not a mix. Custom databases are established at the Institution level and can be used by any of the locations within that institution.
Using Gale Admin, you will be able to configure the name and description of each custom database. You will also be able to download in spreadsheet-ready format a list of all the titles you purchased for each custom database from which you will pick the titles you want made available to your patrons. Then you upload the updated spreadsheet to Gale Admin. Changes you make are implemented by the system once per day.
In order for your patrons to begin using a custom database, it must be assigned to to a location.
Here's how to access your list of custom databases:
- Navigate to the Institution Summary or the Location Summary page of the account for which you wish to view or edit custom database information.
- From the Summary page, click Custom Databases in the left-hand sidebar menu. Then select Custom Databases Summary from the submenu.
- The Custom Databases Summary page is displayed for the corresponding account level.
- The custom databases that exist for the account are displayed, showing the custom database name, the number of titles purchased and the number of titles used. You may sort the list in ascending order by clicking any of the column headings. Click the column heading again to toggle to descending sort order. Note the number of titles purchased will generally be: 100, 150, 200, 250, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000 or 2,500 titles.
- Tasks you can do from here:
- Click the View/Edit link at the far right to go to the Edit Custom Database page, where you can view and/or modify the name and description of the selected custom database. You'll also be able to download to a spreadsheet the list of titles in that specific custom database.
- You can download to a spreadsheet either all periodical titles or all newspaper titles that are available for the level you are at. Click the 'To edit the Journal/Newspaper list for more than one custom database click here' link that appears at the bottom of the screen to go to the Adding/Updating Multiple Journals page.
Upload/Download DB Contents (Adding/Updating Multiple Journals)
Download to a spreadsheet all periodical and newspaper titles that are available for the level you are at. This spreadsheet can be viewed and modified offline, allowing you to assign or un-assign titles for each of your custom databases.
Edit Database (Edit Custom Database)
Use this screen to change the name and/or description of a custom database. You can also download to a spreadsheet list of available titles to be viewed and modified offline, allowing you to assign or un-assign titles for a single custom database. At the Institution Level you also use this page to assign the custom database to one or more locations.