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Engineering Database Trials: Battle of the Databases

Which engineering database should the library subscribe to? Here's how to help us decide!

1) Try using the AccessEngineering database.

Run a search, and check out the videos, solutions walk-throughs, interactive tables, and more.

2) Try using the Knovel database.

Run a search and check out the materials property search and interactive equation features.

3) Take our very short survey to help decide our winner!

What is AccessEngineering?

AccessEngineering is a product created for engineering students.

Contents: textbooks and reference materials, including some codes and standards, educational videos, case studies and step-by-step solutions walkthroughs, interactive equations and data visualizations

To try AccessEngineering:

1. Search a keyword term in the search bar (or leave the search bar empty and hit search to see all content).

2. Use the tabs to explore the different content types, including eBooks, Videos, Spreadsheets, Case Studies, Tutorials and the "DataVis" data visualization tools. 

Tabs for "Everything" wht 424,000 results, Books with over 400,000 results, Videos with 1,254 results, Spreadsheets with 76 results, Case Studies, Tutorials and Data Vis results all under 30 each.

3. From the homepage, click one of the blue buttons "Subject," "Industry," or "Course" to browse content

4. Explore interactive tools (spreadsheet calculators, codes and standards, interactive tables and graphs, and equation search).  

For Faculty:

Instructor and student supplemental textbook resources are available for some titles on AccessEngineering. These supplemental materials are available directly from a textbook’s landing page, under the Resources tab, with links to download available content. Instructor resources include PowerPoint slides, solutions manuals, lab instructions, and additional material.

What is Knovel?

Knovel is a database marketed to industry professionals and university researchers, and allows materials searching by property. 

Contains: technical engineering reference material, conference proceedings, data sets, a material property search feature that will allow you to quickly call up the properties of a specific material, a unit converter, interactive tables and graphs, and an equation tool. 

To try Knovel:

1. Run a search on an engineering topic (try "low carbon steel")

2. Click "Property Search" in the left menu bar and look up the properties of a substance (try looking up the tensile strength of titanium). 

You can also use the tool to put in parameters and find materials matching those properties. Begin your search in the property field and set the parameters (e.g. materials with boiling points greater than 200 degrees F).

3. Click "Equations" in the left menu bar to try the interactive equation features.