DataBasics 

By Kerry Smith
MSU Libraries

A great new addition to MSU Libraries' electronic resources is the recently acquired American Theological Library Association's Religion Database.

The ATLA Religion Database is the premier index to journal articles, book reviews, and collections of essays in all fields of religion. This comprehensive bibliographic database spans 50 years, with selected records going back as far as 1818. The one-million-plus records in the ATLA Religion Database include the following:

• 352,000 journal articles,
• 14,000 multi-author works containing 185,000 essays,
• 348,000 book reviews,
• 1,400 journal titles (600 journals currently indexed),
• 34 languages, and
• 125,000 cross-referenced subject headings in the electronic thesaurus.

Significant features of the ATLA Religion Database include reliable, thorough indexing by scholars of religion, timely indexing that contains current material and regular updates, and broad coverage of the literature of religion.

The scope of religious studies is vast, and accordingly the database offers expansive coverage of the subdisciplines in the field. It also covers religious research in related fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, history, medicine, law, and business.

ATLA's indexing of multi-author works, such as Festschriften and conference proceedings, is unique among religion databases. Although most books of essays are cataloged only as single entries, ATLA indexes each individual essay in that type of book.

Individuals affiliated with Mississippi State can access the database from Mitchell Memorial Library's web site at <nt.library.msstate.edu/>. Users accessing the database remotely may be prompted for a password, which can be acquired by calling the reference desk at 325-7667.