According to Encyclopedia Britannica:
database, also called
electronic database, is a collection of data, or information, specially organized for rapid search and retrieval by a computer.
A library database is a searchable electronic index of published, reliable resources. Databases provide access to a wealth of useful research materials from academic journals, newspapers, and magazines. Some databases also include e-books, relevant Web resources, and various multimedia.
The information found in databases is either originally created or comes from different, reliable sources.