Library Databases: The Pros and Cons

After researching four of the Salt Lake City Public library databases, I've found a few that I would use for future research. The Historical New York Times database was especially helpful. I felt as if it was the easiest to navigate, and presented many relevent and interesting points regarding my research topic: same-sex marriage. I found articles from way back in 2007 that hinted at the legalization of same-sex marriage, or at least the attempt to legalize it. The other database I found helpful was the Utah Digital Newspapers. This database had some really old articles, mainly focusing on the Mormon opinion and societal views on same-sex marriage. Sure, an article that I found from a Box Elder 1921 newspaper was just a little extreme, proclaiming that the Mormon's were being targeted for their beliefs, but nevertheless, it will provide me great research towards why Utah society, for the most part, does not want to legalize same-sex marriage. I had a lot of difficulty with the NewsBank database, and don't think I'll use it in the future. The World Book database was resourceful, but I think is best used for quick, brief facts about the topic. The World Book database is a great tool to use when researching politicians views on the subject though, at least for same-sex marriage.