Joint Release

December 8, 2017

 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Geologic guidebooks tell stories about the history of our continent's beautiful natural landscapes, but to date they have not been easily obtained by today's researchers. To facilitate greater access to these guidebooks, the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) and the Geoscience Information Society (GSIS) have jointly launched a free database, which catalogs decades of these guidebooks from across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. 

 

The Geologic Guidebooks of North America Database – as it is called – fills a significant gap in existing geoscience information. Many parts of North America are not sufficiently mapped by geological surveys, so guidebooks from university field trips and amateur excursions can contain some of the richest information available – or in some cases, the only information available – for a given location. Now, anyone can explore references to more than 10,000 of these guidebooks with ease using the geographic search option, which was previously not possible.

 

"This collaboration between AGI and GSIS will make old and new guidebooks more discoverable by active researchers and curious hobbyists, and we are grateful to GSIS volunteers for supporting this initiative from its inception," said Sharon Tahirkheli, AGI's Director of Information Services.

 

The new database builds on a long history of collaboration between GSIS and AGI, which earlier resulted in the publication of several print publications, including The Union List of Geologic Field Trip Guidebooks of North America, Sixth Edition, compiled and edited by the GSIS Guidebooks Committee and published by AGI in 1996.

 

GSIS President Robert Tolliver said, "Transferring these guidebook references into a centralized online database based on GeoRef data will make them immediately more accessible to the next generation of geoscientists. Instead of being hidden away and gathering dust, these guidebooks can now inspire new directions for research out in the field."

 

Visit the Geologic Guidebooks of North America Database at http://guidebooks.americangeosciences.org/ to start exploring.

 

 

The GeoRef database, established by the American Geosciences Institute in 1966, provides access to the geoscience literature of the world. GeoRef is the most comprehensive database in the geosciences and continues to grow by more than 100,000 references a year. The database contains over 4 million references to geoscience journal articles, books, maps, conference papers, reports and theses. Learn more at https://www.americangeosciences.org/georef.

 

 

The Geoscience Information Society (GSIS) facilitates the exchange of information in the geosciences through cooperation among scientists, librarians, editors, cartographers, educators, and information professionals. Learn more at http://www.geoinfo.org.

 

 

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) is a nonprofit federation of 52 scientific and professional associations that represents more than 260,000 geoscientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.

 

AGI is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to serving the geoscience community and addressing the needs of society. AGI headquarters are in Alexandria, Virginia.

 

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AGI Contact:

Joseph Lilek

571.483.5445

 

GSIS Contact:

Robert Tolliver

president@geoinfo.org 

 

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