DISCUS Databases
DISCUS A-Z Listing of Databases
DISCUS is South
Carolina's Virtual Library and stands for stands for Digital
Information for South Carolina Users. Discus is a collection of
subscription databases with an array of resources ranging from
books and magazines to maps and videos. This collection of
databases provides high-quality publications in an easy to navigate
format for students and teachers alike. Discus allows students to
safely search for up-to-date information without sifting through
advertisements and non-educational results found in search engines
such as Google. Among the top reasons to use subscription databases
is it prepares young students to find credible sources for later
academic achievement.
The South Carolina State Library manages and administers Discus
in cooperation with the state's school, college, and public
libraries. Discus is funded primarily by an appropriation from the
South Carolina General Assembly in collaboration with the K-12
School Technology Initiative. State funding covers most of the
database subscription costs. Additional funding from the federal
Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) also supports Discus.
These organizations make it possible to provide Discus resources to
the public at no cost.
Advertising, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing
Information:
Business Source
Premier
Business research database covering advertsing, accounting,
banking, economics. entrepreneurship, finance, management,
marketing, and other business related areas of study. Contains
market research reports, industry reports, country reports, company
profiles and SWOT analyses.
Company Profiles
Collection of over 10,000 comprehensive MarketLine profiles on
the world's most important companies from industries sectors
including automotive, consumer, energy, financial services,
healthcare, and technology. Profiles typically include: company
overview, key facts, business description, history, key employees,
major products and services, revenue analysis, SWOT analysis,
competitors, company view, locations and subsidiaries.
Small Business Reference
Center
Up-to-date information on topics related to small businesses and
entrepreneurs, including buying and selling a business, managing
employees, writing business plans, understanding legal information,
marketing and more. Contains nearly 400 full-text periodicals, over
450 full-text reference books, and hundreds of business videos and
provides state-specific resources with demographic data and other
local information.
Biographical Sources:
Gale
in Contect: Biography
Collection of over 600,000 biographies of people throughout
history. Provides information about the lives, careers, and
interesting facts of influencial people throughout the U.S. and
World.
College and Career Prep
Sources:
Auto Repair Source
Provides auto service and repair information on more than 38,000
domestic and imported vehicles from 1974 to present from every
major manufacturer. Includes step-by-step repairs with images from
the original equipment manufacturers, maintenance schedules, labor
estimates, technical service bulletins, specifications and
diagnostic trouble codes and provides part numbers, diagrams, and
pricing for thousands of the most commonly replaced parts.
Ferguson's Career
Guidance Center
Comprehensive resource for career exploration and planning that
covers 140 industries and career fields and thousands of
professions. Provides career interest assessments that rank
interests and suggests occupations and industries.
Learning Express
Library
Comprehensive collection of college and career test-preparation
tools, skill-building materials, and other career and life skills
resources. Includes:
- Practice tests for GED preparation, job and career goals,
undergraduate and graduate school admission, and US
citizenship
- Skills building resources for help in resume building,
interviewing, job searching, business writing, and core computer
skills
- Tools for improving proficiency levels in reading, writing, and
math for elementary school learners through adults
- Timed college prep tests, instant scoring and feedback, and
free individual user accounts for saving works-in-progress and
completed tasks
- Resources for Spanish speakers to assist with grammar, reading,
math, GED preparation, and US Citizenship preparation
Culture and History
Information:
African American
History
Comprehensive source for coverage of more than 500 years of the
African-American experience. Includes videos and slideshows,
images, biographies of key people, events and topics, primary
sources, maps and graphs, and searchable timelines showcasing the
collective history and culure of African Americans.
Culture Grams
Provides country, state, and province reports that provide
snapshots of the world's cultures. Each report includes the
history, customs, family, lifestyle, recipes, economy and more of
the area.
History Reference
Center
Comprehensive U.S. and world history reference resource that
provides full-text reference works, history periodicals, historical
documents, biographies, photos, and maps along with video content
on social, political, and cultural history from 1893 to 1985.
South
Carolina History
Online guide to South Carolina history sources and information
provided by the State Library.
StudySC
Collection of links to multimedia, primary documents, Discus
resources, and interactive content pertaining to Sourg
Carolina.
Current Issues and Trending Topics:
Opposing
Viewpoints in Context
Database of pro and con viewpoint essays on contemporary social
issues.
Points of View
Reference Center
Full-text database providing essays and articles that present
multiple sides of current issues and is designed to offer the full
scope of controversial subjects.
Facts and General Reference Databases:
Credo
Reference
Credo Reference is a collection of full text subject-specific
encyclopedias, biographies, chronologies, and dictionaries that
provide images, audio files, and videos. Credo's topic pages and
concept mapping visual search tool provide context and vocabulary,
subject orientation, and pathways to further exploration.
Culture
Grams
Culture Grams provides cultural and statistical country reports
that contain snapshots into the other cultures. Users can find
maps, flags, recipes, famous people, interviews, photos, videos,
and more.
Encyclopedia
Britannica High School Edition
Provides encyclopedia articles, magazines and journals, videos,
maps, dictionary and thesaurus entries.
Learn
360
Learn 360 provides multimedia resources, including high-quality
videos, images, audio files, interactives, maps, and science
experiments in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social
Studies, Health, World Languages, Technical/Vocational Education,
Music/Dance, etc. that can be streamed, downloaded, and integrated
with Google Classroom.
Literature and Literary Criticism
Resources:
Bloom's
Literature
Comprehensive source for literary research on writers and their
works that includes author biographies, literature overviews, plot
summaries, theme/character analyses, and literary criticism.
Literary Reference
Center
Provides literary research on writers and their works that
includes plot summaries, work overviews, literary criticism, author
biographies, and more.
NovelList
Plus
Readers' advisory product providing access to information on
over 260,000 fiction and nonfiction titles and series
designed guide readers to reading materials of interest and to
help integrate reading across subject areas in the classroom.
Includes author read-alikes, book discussion guides, reading lists,
searchable award lists and more.
Poetry for
Students
Collection of articles that discuss and analyze the most studied
poems. Provides an overview of each poem and study's its principal
themes, images, form, and construction.
Short Stories
for Students
Collection includes critical overviews of short stories and
includes discussions of plot, characters, themes, and structure as
well as the story's culture and historical significance.
Tutoring Assistance:
Tutor.com
Virtual live real-time tutoring assiatnce in any topic: 24 hours
a day, seven days a week.
