Library catalogs organize all of the materials a library purchases. These include records for books, magazines, journals, newspapers, videos, sound recordings, images, etc.

The University of Michigan's Library catalog is called "Mirlyn."

The library catalog does not include journal articles.

Databases are used to identify articles on a topic.

Some article indexes such as ProQuest are general or multidisciplinary. Many indexes specialize in a particular subject area, such as biology, literature, or art history.

Examples: