When Full Text Is Not Actually “Full” Text
Answer
There are times when when you may find that an article or image that appears in a magazine or newspaper doesn’t make it into the Gale or ProQuest databases from MLS and MBLC. This often happens because the publisher of the periodical doesn’t have resell rights to the work. Here are a couple examples where you might encounter this:
- The article is part of a syndicated column and the owner of that column does not allow the publisher to share that content with Gale or ProQuest.
- The article is a reprint of an article from another publication and does not allow the publisher to share that content with Gale or ProQuest. (You will often see this in online articles.)
In these cases, it is a decision made by publishers on whether or not to share that content and not a decision made by Gale/ProQuest or MLS/MBLC.
Be sure to check the publication coverage in the database. If all articles are not available, you should see a brief note of limitations. Both scenarios call for your reference librarian sleuthing talents. It may be possible for you to locate the article from a syndicated column in another publication where rights are given, or you may be able to find the original article that was reprinted and unavailable.