There is a database I think everyone should be familiar with. I learned about it during my graduate studies and have used it off and on. Every public library website I have been on has had it. It's called Novelist Plus. There is also a Novelist K-8 version of it. All you need to access it is your library card number and pin. Very simple.
On the main page you can search for fiction or nonfiction titles on the left by genre, audiobooks, and Best of 2014. The database also singles out titles that may be of interest to a reader. If a researcher wants to be more specific they can type in an author, title, keyword, subject or narrator.
Let's say I type in Nora Roberts. I can find a list of her books, series, audiobooks, more information about her as well as lists and articles that mention her. This is great if you want to make sure you have read all the books in a series or by the author. I know it is possible to just Google the author. But this database provides much more information. If you scroll down you can select different genres and categories for different books/authors that fall under the same story lines as Roberts. Lastly, there is a list of Read-alikes for author suggestions.
There is so much a person can learn from this database.