Library databases are online resources you can search to find reliable information from trusted sources. Databases can be general or subject specific and can include a wide range of content including full text journal articles, ebooks, reports, abstracts, conference proceedings etc.
Library Search is a database of databases and allows you to search the content of most databases in one go.
Here are some useful Fashion & Textiles databases. Unless otherwise specified, you will need your Single Sign On username and password (the same as for MyDMU and email) to access them within and outside the university.
An online collection of 100 periodicals covering British life in the 19th century.
Essential for understanding Black history and culture, this online resource allows scholars to discover the migrations, communities, and ideologies of the African Diaspora through the voices of people of African descent.
This collection includes never-before digitised primary source documents, including personal papers, organisational papers, journals, newsletters, court documents, letters, and ephemera. The collection has a number of key partners like The National Archives and Records Administration (US), National Archives at Kew (UK), Royal Anthropological Institute, and Senate House Library (University of London).
An archive (1897 to 2005) of the weekly British culture and lifestyle magazine, Country Life, focusing on fine art and architecture, the great country houses, and rural living. Every page is fully searchable, and reproduced in full color and high resolution. Country Life Archive presents a chronicle of more than 100 years of British heritage, including its art, architecture, and landscapes, with an emphasis on leisure pursuits such as antique collecting, hunting, shooting, equestrian news, and gardening.
An archival research resource containing the essential primary sources for studying the history of the film and entertainment industries, from the era of vaudeville and silent movies through to 2000.
This online resource presents the records of major civil rights organisations and personal papers of leaders and observers of the 20th century Black freedom struggle. Civil rights leaders included are labour leader A. Philip Randolph, the long-time civil rights activist and organiser of the March on Washington, Bayard Rustin, and the papers of the pioneering educator Mary McLeod Bethune. Through records of Claude A. Barnett’s Associated Negro Press, the collection also branches out to cover other aspects of African American life in the 20th century, like religion, education, sports and entertainment.
This online collection is comprised of records of several important women’s rights organisations: the National Woman’s Party, the League of Women Voters, and the Women’s Action Alliance. The organisations were concerned with issues such as employment and employment discrimination, childcare, health care and education.
A comprehensive survey of current publications related to film scholarship alongside detailed and expansive filmographies. This collection includes the specialist index FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals Database and the detailed and complementary filmographies created by the American Film Institute and the British Film Institute; AFI Catalog and Film Index International.
A complete searchable online archive of American Vogue, from the first issue in 1892 to the current month, reproduced in high-resolution colour page images. Every page, advertisement, cover and fold-out has been included, with rich indexing enabling you to find images by garment type, designer and brand names.
Users have to sign up with their DMU email address through the Business of Fashion website to gain access to BoF Professional on and off campus. To activate a complimentary student membership or Student Plus they need to first click here, opt for their preferred membership and then follow the prompted instructions. They will then need to click on the link emailed to them and complete the student membership details asked for (including course, date of graduation etc) to access BOF Professional free-of-charge.
Free access is only available until date of graduation. Staff members experiencing issues will probably have reached their maximum number of years and will need to contact support@businessoffashion.com to extend.
Daily resource for fashion creatives, executives and entrepreneurs, offering an informed, analytical and opinionated point of view on the fashion business. Includes fashion business intelligence on emerging designers, disruptive technologies and global brands.
EBSCO released a new Business Search Interface (BSI) in July 2025. This new interface makes business research more intuitive and efficient. Students and staff can easily browse leading business journals and magazines, search specific topics and easily locate country economic data, company profiles, industry information, and market research.
EBSCO's Business Source Ultimate is an indispensable resource for business students. The database offers access to more than 3,500 active full text journals, including many peer-reviewed publications. It spans various business topics, from current trends to historical information and global perspectives. The resource also includes important video collections, such as a new collection of videos from Academy of Management.
EBSCO's Academic Search Premier is a multi-disciplinary database that provides active full text for more than 3,100 journals, including active full text for nearly 2,750 peer-reviewed titles. The database also includes more than 70,000 videos from the Associated Press. This collection of videos is updated monthly and includes footage from 1930 to the present day.
This database features hundreds of titles covering Art, Architecture, Design, History, Philosophy, Music, Literature, Theatre and Cultural Studies. It is designed to complement the following indexes: ABM, Avery, BHA, BHI, DAAI, Index Islamicus, MLA, Philosopher's Index and RILM.
The Arts Premium Collection encompasses cross-searchable databases with thousands of journal titles, ensuring deep searches of extensive collections in specialist subject areas not covered in more general databases. Subject areas include: Art, Design, Architecture, Humanities, Film/Screen Studies, Music, Performing Arts, and more. With international coverage, and access to the definitive indexes in these fields, the Arts Premium Collection supports academic inquiry and is a rich source for comprehensive arts literature reviews.
This online index is the premier source of information for all aspects of design and crafts, from textiles and ceramics to vehicle design, advertising and sustainability. The database covers journal articles, exhibition reviews and news items from 1973 to the present.
ProQuest Central brings together complete databases across all major subject areas, including Business, Health and Medical, Language and Literature, Social Sciences, Education, Science and Technology, as well as core titles in the Performing and Visual Arts, History, Religion, Philosophy, and includes thousands of full-text newspapers from around the world.
Archive online newspapers selected from the British Library's collections, including the Leicester Chronicle, from 1840-1900.
ProQuest Central brings together complete databases across all major subject areas, including Business, Health and Medical, Language and Literature, Social Sciences, Education, Science and Technology, as well as core titles in the Performing and Visual Arts, History, Religion, Philosophy, and includes thousands of full-text newspapers from around the world.