Specialized databases are searchable collections on particular subjects. The U.S. government and nonprofit organizations maintain many of the free, nonproprietary databases on the Web, but commercial databases are also starting to appear with greater frequency.

You can easily find specialized databases by accessing virtual libraries, meta-search tools, or directories such as the InvisibleWeb. Specialized databases are also found in subject guides. These databases are like search engines, in that they support different search features. Most databases have search instruction pages that you should read before you start searching.

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