Databases

Founded in 1974 in Trinidad & Tobago, Banyan Productions was the first television producer of innovative and entertaining programs for, about, and by the Caribbean people and culture. Banyan’s mission was to provide the Caribbean people with the means to tell their stories to one anotherwithout influence from the outside world. Now, for the first time, those stories will be available on the Alexander Street platform.

With a mixture of history, entertainment, and social commentary, Banyan has produced a film library  covering documentary, drama, music, dance, and much more, spanning the past forty years.

Previously inaccessible in streaming format, this collection features more than 1,100 hours of edited programs along with unedited footage that will enhance study across a host of disciplines and subjects, including: Caribbean Studies, Black Studies, History, Anthropology, Sociology, Religion, Visual Arts, Dance, Music, Literature, Theatre and Media Studies.

AccessMedicine's Case Files Collection from McGraw-Hill Education offers the best-selling Case Files content in an interactive format. Updated regularly, this comprehensive case collection helps students learn and apply basic science and clinical medicine concepts in the context of realistic patient cases. The collection features the complete collection of basic science, clinical medicine, and post-graduate level cases from 23 Case Files series books (such as anatomy, pharmacology, emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, ob/gyn, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgery), and the personalized functionality to let users mark their progress through completed and unseen cases.

A freely accessible, easy-to-search, public repository of reviewed and annotated images, videos, and animations of cells from a variety of organisms, showcasing cell architecture, intracellular functionalities, and both normal and abnormal processes. The purpose of this database is to advance research, education, and training, with the ultimate goal of improving human health.

The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) is a highligh concentrated source of reports of randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials. The majority of CENTRAL records are taken from bibliographic databases (mainly MEDLINE and Embase), but records are also derived from other published sources. In addition to bibliographic details (author, source, year, etc.) CENTRAL records will often include an abstract (a summary of the article). 

This collection of Foreign Office files explores the history of Persia (Iran), Central Asia and Afghanistan from the decline of the Silk Road in the first half of the nineteenth century to the establishment of Soviet rule over parts of the region in the early 1920s. It encompasses the era of “The Great Game” - a political and diplomatic confrontation between the Russian and British Empires for influence, territory and trade across a vast region, from the Black Sea in the west to the Pamir Mountains in the east.

Comprised of correspondence, intelligence reports, agents’ diaries, minutes, maps, newspaper excerpts and other materials from the FO 65, FO 106, FO 371 and FO 539 series, this resource forms one of the greatest existing sets of historical documents relating to this region, offering insights not only into the impact of Great Power politics on the region, but also the region’s peoples, cultures and societies.

Includes daily and monthly Toronto Stock Exchange trading information about specific securities as well as information on "price adjustments" such as dividends, stock splits, recapitalizations, etc. The database also includes daily and monthly indexes containing information on daily and monthly index levels as well as selected other financial markets information.

CFMRC TSX highlights: 

• expanded daily data set includes opening as well as closing data for: prices; bids; asks; trades; and volumes, amongst other information 
• expanded monthly data set includes: betas; earnings per share; volume; and transactions, amongst other data 
• expanded daily and monthly index data sets which include: a selection of interest and exchange rates; TMX Group indices; new under- and over- $2.00 indices, as well as other data

Includes seven browsable and searchable database of traditional ancient Chinese texts from the Pre-Han (pre 220 AD) up to the Six Dynasties (581 AD).

ChemDraw a leading chemical drawing application. McMaster subscribes to ChemDraw Professional, with tools to quickly create chemically intelligent, publication-ready chemical structures and reactions, or experimental notes and write-ups. Beyond a full set of chemical structure essentials (e.g., rings, bonds, chains, atoms, and functional group tools), ChemDraw Professional also includes 3D clean-up and 3D display improvements,1H and 13C NMR predictions, Name-to-Structure and Structure-to-Name functions, and integrations to SciFinder, Reaxys, and SciFinder-n. Peptide and nucleic acid chemists can also take advantage of the HELM Toolbar to easily represent biomolecules.

McMaster users need to be registered to download the tool and access the cloud applicaitons. Please use the Quick Start Guide to learn how to quickly register and activate your copy of ChemDraw and ChemOffice+ Cloud.

Key scientific and trade literature are scanned for information on safety and health hazards surrounding chemicals encountered in the chemical and related industries. Topics covered include health and safety, chemical and biological hazards, plant safety, legislation, protective equipment and storage, all relating to the chemical and allied industries.

Search across ten chemistry dictionaries and databases, including the CRC Handbook of Chemistry & Physics. 

Combined chemical dictionary -- Dictionary of commonly cited compounds -- Dictionary of drugs -- Dictionary of inorganic and organometallic compounds -- Dictionary of natural products -- Dictionary of organic compounds -- Dictionary of Food Compounds -- Dictionary of Marine Natural Products -- Polymers, a property database -- Properties of organic compounds 

Search or browse issues (full page and article images in PDF) of The Chicago Defender,  one of the most influential black newspapers in the United States.

Provides guidance on citing sources, reference formats, grammar and usage, and manuscript production. Both the 17th (2017) and 16th (2010) editions are available online. 

This primary sources database provides a wide variety of original English-language source material relating to China and the West, 1793-1980. Includes manuscripts encompassing events from the earliest English embassy to the birth and early years of the People’s Republic, key documents relating to the Chinese Maritime Customs service, original reports of the Amherst and Macartney embassies, letters relating to the first Opium War, survivors' descriptions of the Boxer War, diaries and personal photographs, extensive and fully searchable runs of missionary periodicals, over 400 colour paintings, maps and drawings by English and Chinese artists, as well as countless photographs, sketches and ephemeral items, depicting Chinese people, places, customs and events.

This primary source database, of interest to scholars of global history and missology, provides original materials from the CMS, founded in 1799 as an Anglican evangelical organization.  It includes documents related to missions to Africa, the Americas, East Asia, India, and the Middle East, Missions to Women, and records of the CMS.

Highlights include:

• Central records of the CMS and papers of key individuals associated with it
• Records of the the Loochoo Naval Mission (1843-1864), the first recorded Anglican and Protestant mission in Japan
• Archive of the Society for Promoting Female Education in China, India and the East
• Records of the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society

Documenting Anglican missionary work from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century, the Church Missionary Society Periodicals offer a unique perspective on global history and cultural encounters. 

Module I features publications from the Church Missionary Society (CMS), the South American Missionary Society and the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society (CEZMS), including the Mid-Africa Ministry, between 1804 and 2009. 

Module II focuses on the CMS medical mission auxiliaries, the work of the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society among women in Asia and the Middle East, newsletters from native churches and student missions in China and Japan, and 'home' material including periodicals aimed specifically at women and children subscribers. 

Includes images, interactive maps and chronologies, and biographies.

CINAHL indexes almost 3,000 journals covering nursing, biomedicine, health sciences librarianship, alternative/complementary medicine, consumer health and allied health disciplines (e.g. respiratory technology, x-ray technology, etc.). Also indexed are: health care books, nursing dissertations, selected conference proceedings, standards of practice, educational software, audiovisuals and book chapters. Full-text is included for some journals as well as legal cases, clinical innovations, critical paths, drug records, research instruments and clinical trials. Pre-CINAHL refers to records that are not yet 100% indexed. These records are in process and do not have subject headings applied.

Indexes journals and research bulletins published by Japanese academic societies (primarily in Japanese), with broad subject coverage including the humanities, law, medicine, pure sciences, engineering, and economics. 

Indexes all ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) publications, providing citations to journal articles, conference papers, books, standards and manuals. Indexing for journals goes back to 1958, and book records are complete from the early 1900s onwards.  McMaster subscribes to ASCE's journals, but you will need to check the library's catalogue to access the full-text publications.

A dictionary of Sinitic characters and compounds related to East Asian cultural, political, and intellectual history.

Currently contains over 20,000 scores (from both in-copyright and public domain editions. The major composers' output is represented, as well as many lesser known composers and works from the Renaissance to the 21st century. Content in the database includes in-copyright material from Boosey and Hawkes and selected material from the University Music Editions microfilm series.

Access to the recorded music requires a separate subscription; this portion of the database is not available at McMaster.

Clinical Overviews (formerly First Consult) is an evidence-based clinical information resource for healthcare professionals. Designed for use at point of care, it provides instant, user-friendly access to the latest information on evaluation, diagnosis, clinical management, prognosis, and prevention.

Provides full-text access to medical and surgical reference books, journals and videos; FIRST CONSULT point-of-care clinical monographs; PROCEDURES Consult, systematic guidance of procedures integral to the practice of medicine; all medical and surgical clinics of North America; MEDLINE abstracts; Clinical pharmacology drug monographs; Vitals- surgical, point-of-care content; the ClinicalTrials.gov database; Practice Guidelines; Patient education handouts and CME materials.

ClinicalTrials.gov is a database of privately and publicly funded clinical studies conducted around the world. 

The Cochrane Library includes evidence from Cochrane and other systematic reviews, methodology reviews, clinical trials, and more. Cochrane reviews bring you the combined results of medical research studies. Focus is on evidence-based health care.

The COLD Database is comprised of the USPA Permafrost Alert Program, Bibliography on Cold Regions Science and Technology, and Antarctic Bibliography.

Colonial Caribbean covers the history of the various territories under British colonial governance from 1624 to 1870. This extensive resource includes administrative documentation, trade and shipping records, minutes of council meetings, as well as details of plantation life, colonial settlement, imperial rivalries across the region, and the growing concern of absentee landlords.

Content Warning: 
Colonial Caribbean covers topics which are inextricably linked to stories of oppression and abuse. Please be aware that distressing content can be found throughout the documents and contextual essays in this resource, including graphic descriptions and first-hand accounts of physical or sexual abuse.

Stretching from Jamaica and the Bahamas to Trinidad and Tobago, Colonial Caribbean makes available materials from 27 Colonial Office file classes from The National Archives, UK. Covering the history of the various territories under British colonial governance from 1624 to 1870, this extensive resource includes administrative documentation, trade and shipping records, minutes of council meetings, and details of plantation life, colonial settlement, imperial rivalries across the region, and the growing concern of absentee landlords. 

Colonial Legacies: Empire and Commonwealth Periodicals is a digital archive comprising over 30 periodicals concerning the 20th-century history of the British Empire, decolonization, and the history and culture of former colonies. The archive offers a mixture of British publications about the empire and titles published in Commonwealth countries (including Australia, New Zealand, India, Canada, South Africa, and Papua New Guinea).

Coverage spans over 150 years, ranging from the late-19th century to the 21st – these publications encompass the empire’s later phase and its post-independence legacies. It will support research in key events in colonial history, including the latter stages of the Scramble for Africa, the world wars, independence movements, the creation of the Commonwealth and more. While official publications contain valuable information about colonial administration and ideology, more popular titles, covering the arts, society, and general interests, provide insights into many facets of Commonwealth countries’ history and society before and after independence.

A full-text database containing working papers, journal articles, country data and maps,  policy briefs, special reports, research papers, videos, books, case studies, and current analysis & commentary related to international politics and related fields, including security studies, global finance, diplomatic practice, humanitarian law, global governance, development studies, and environmental studies. 

Content is aggregated from 300 international publishing institutions including government research organizations, independent think tanks, university analysis centres, and scholarly journals. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) supplies country surveys with political and economic data and maps. More EIU content is available in the EIU Viewpoint database.

Communication Source supports research on mass media, communications theory, linguistics, organizational communication, phonetics and speech pathology.  Content is derived from academic journals, conference papers, conference proceedings, trade publications, magazines and other periodicals.  Provides indexing and abstracting for over 1,100 core titles and contains the full text for more than 700 journals.