The Wise Report
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
December 10, 2017
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 more than 10,000 of these guidebook references with ease using the geographic search option, which was previously not possible.
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.
About GeoRef
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.
About GSIS
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/.
Henry M. Wise, P.G.
The Wise Report
12/10/2017