Using the Database at the Naval Air Warfare Center Technical Library The rapidly changing face of research and technology in the scientific and research forum, as well as in the world , pushed the Naval The Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWC-WD) Technical Library will be in a constant state of change. These changes in information technology are made in order to constantly provide library users and staff with the latest features to better perform their job duties. Database usage has become the mainstay of the NAWCWD Technical Library, with all staff members and users using numerous databases on a daily basis. The most frequently used databases in the NAWCWD Technical Library are the STILAS Workflow Catalog and the Knowledge File, a FileMaker Pro database used to store useful information about touchpoints. This document will explain these databases as well as their importance to the NAWCWD Technical Library and propose improvements to each where applicable. STILAS, the Technical Library's online computer cataloging database, is essential to our daily operations. It allows both users and staff up-to-date access to the library's current holdings. It shows what is available for checkout, what has already been checked out, and, in some cases, what is missing from the library's collection. Records that appear in the online catalog are created through a process called copy cataloging. Copy cataloging is the process of "copying bibliographic records from a source database such as OCLC WorldCat, [and] has increased the efficiency of librarians by eliminating duplication of effort. A library creates a bibliographic record for an item such as a book and many other libraries can copy or migrate the data to their local online catalogues, thus saving each individual library the work of cataloging the item and entering the data into the system.” (Beall and Kafadar, 2004). However, there is a potential flaw in the cataloging of copies. If the original record is created with typographical errors, those errors are then subsequently imported or migrated into each subsequent database. A typographical error can greatly hinder your ability to locate the materials you want, so this is not a situation best avoided. However, this flaw can be eliminated or greatly reduced if care is taken to carefully select the source of the document. For example, if the Technical Library cataloger has the option to copy an original record from a Library of Congress (LCC) cataloger or an elementary school library technician, he or she should choose the LCC record.