Electronic Research Databases (once you leave school)

One of my frustrations with life in the “real world” was that I no longer had access to the plethora of on-line research databases that I was accustomed to using while at school. But it looks like getting a digital library card would once again give me access to on-line research databases as Alex Tabarrok found out!

In most states, you can get a library card from a public library outside of your county of residence -- as long as you can prove state residence (true for the San Francisco Public Library). Often you will have to go the actual state library in person to pick up your card, but once in hand, you can access the library from the web. Fanatical researchers are known to have a wallet full of library cards from numerous public library systems within their respective states. Some states, Ohio and Michigan being two of the better known, have statewide consortiums of private, corporate and public libraries, which allows you access to the combined services and databases licensing power of them all.