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Geoscience Information Society
Geoscience Information Society
Geologic Field Trip Guidebooks Committee
Geologic Field Trip Guidebooks Committee
Resources for Finding and Accessing Guidebooks
Resources for Finding and Accessing Guidebooks
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Major Tools for Finding Guidebooks
Major Tools for Finding Guidebooks
There are several useful tools for identifying geologic field trip guidebooks. The three most useful are: GeoRef, the Geologic Guidebooks of North America Database (GGNAD), and OCLC WorldCat. GeoRef is by subscription only, the GGNAD is free, and WorldCat is by subscription or there is also a free version.
None of these resources is comprehensive; it may be necessary to search all three databases to find what you want. Even searching all three resources will not reveal all geologic field trip guidebooks. Field trip guidebooks are known as "grey literature"; they are difficult to identify and access. Help is needed from authors of guidebooks and leaders of trips to make sure that their guidebooks get into libraries and therefore are cataloged and indexed so that others can identify them and borrow or purchase a copy.
Other resources for identifying guides are: online catalogs of university libraries, web pages and publications pages of societies and surveys, and other resources (see below).
GeoRef
- By subscription only.
- Guidebooks previously were not consistently added to GeoRef.
- You may need to use multiple search strategies (guidebook, guide book, guide; fieldtrip field trip, excursion, road log; geographical areas; multiple series titles, guidebook title; leaders/authors, etc.).
Geologic Guidebooks of North America Database (GGNAD)
- http://www.agiweb.org/georef/onlinedb/gnaintro
- A searchable, online database sponsored by GeoRef (AGI) and compiled by Geoscience Information Society (GSIS).
- Contains the information in the print publication The Union List of Geologic Field Trip Guidebooks of North America, sixth edition, as well as updates.
- GGNAD vs. GeoRef: GGNAD is more complete for older guidebooks; GeoRef is more complete for more recent guidebooks; efforts are being made to fill in gaps in both databases.
WorldCat
- An online database that contains holdings of libraries across the world.
- By subscription. Many university libraries provide access. http://www.oclc.org/firstsearch/content/worldcat/default.htm
- There is also a free version: http://www.worldcat.org/
Catalogs of Universities
- This resource links to library online catalogs from around the World: http://lists.webjunction.org/libweb/
Web pages and Publications Pages of Societies and Surveys
- https://sites.google.com/site/lurascollections/reference/geointernetlinks#AGENCIES
- https://sites.google.com/site/lurascollections/collections/bookdealers
- https://sites.google.com/site/lurascollections/collections/statesurveypubs
- Or do a Google search for a specific society or survey; URLs change frequently
Other
- Lists in some guidebooks
- Google search (e.g. vitae and publication lists of researchers & scholars)
- Librarians
- Other people
Search Tips
Search Tips
The search strategy that you use will correspond to what you are looking for, and the database you are searching. Here are some general tips:
Searching for guidebooks for a particular area:
Searching for guidebooks for a particular area:
Use this search string: guidebook* OR field trip* OR guide book* OR fieldtrip* OR excursion*
That should cover many of the guidebooks. You could add "guide" to the search string, but that will also yield some false hits. Excursion is useful because that term is often used in place of "field trip" in non-USA countries, however it may also yield some false hits (e.g. graphical excursion). The * symbol is used as a wildcard by many searh engines (stands in place of any symbol or symbols, and therefore is good for both singular and plural forms), however a particular search engine may use a different symbol, so it is wise to check the help section of a vendor if you are not sure.
It is best to use the above search string in "any field", not just the title field, since none of those terms may be in the titles. For example, Roadside geology of....". Hopefully some savy indexer will add the field trip and/or guidebook terms to the descriptors in the record.
Combine (Boolen AND) the above search string with other terms to limit to your area of interest. This may take a lot of tinkering.
Geographic considerations:
- Your area of interest may be included in a guidebook for a larger region.
- A number of different terms may be used for the same geographic area of interest.
- Some versions of GeoRef allow searching by longitude/latitude.
- Try using county names, states, etc.
Subject considerations:
- You might also try limiting by subject, but it is likely that you will miss some guidebooks that might be helpful. Examples:
- tectonic* OR structur*
- Quaternary OR Pleistocene OR Ice Age OR glacial OR glacier*
Searching for a particular, known guidebook: (see below)
Searching for a particular, known guidebook: (see below)
Resources for Accessing Guidebooks
Resources for Accessing Guidebooks
Once a guidebook has been identified, it may be difficult to access a copy.
First search the online catalog of your local university library, especially if there is a geology or geoscience department connected with the university. You may need to search by both the title of the individual guidebook and also by the title of the series; libraries often catalog only at the series level. This is an important fact, and is one of the most common reasons that people have trouble finding a particular guidebook in the library online catalog.
Second, check to see if it might be available full text online. Use any web browser. Or, try going to the web pages of the society or survey that published it.
If your library does not own a copy of the guidebook, and it isn't online, try to get it through Interlibrary Loan.
You can use WorldCat to find out what librariares might own a copy, and that should help you know how easy it might be to borrow a copy.
Older entries in the Guidebooks Database include libraries in the "union" that used to hold a copy. Other libraries not part of the "union" may also have copies; conversely, libraries that used to have a copy might no longer have one due to loss or withdrawal of material; however it is a place to start. To use this feature, find the guideboon in the database, and then use this Link to interpret the library code.
You can try to buy a copy. Try using a web browser to find the publications pages of the society or survey that produced the guidebook. Or try these resources:
Agencies, Organizations, Institutions, Associations
Continuing Series of Field Trip Guidebooks
Used and Out of Print Book Dealers
Ask a geology librarian for help.
If all else fails, you can try contacting a trip leader to see if you can get a copy of the guidebook.
Continuing Series of Field Trip Guidebooks
Continuing Series of Field Trip Guidebooks
Many societies and associations regularly produce geologic field trip guidebooks. Some are produced regularly, and other sporadically. Below is a link to a list of continuing guidebook series from societies & associations, along with links to publication pages when available. Other lists will be added later.
Continuing Guidebook Series from Societies & Associations
Online Guidebooks and Guidebooks to Virtual Trips
Online Guidebooks and Guidebooks to Virtual Trips
(See Continuing Series for others that are not free online)
(See Continuing Series for others that are not free online)
Increasingly, guidebooks are being made available full-text online. Below are some links to collections of online guidebooks and virtual trips.
Geologic Field Trip Guidebooks - from Ohio State University Libraries (Mary Scott)
Virtual Field Trip Guides : United States and Canada - from University of Texas, Walter Geology Library (Dennis Trombatore)
NORTH AMERICA
Canada
Friends of the Grenville (New York, Ontario, Quebec)
Geological Association of Canada (GAC), Newfoundland and Labrador Section - Guidebooks
Geological Association of Canada (GAC) - Mineralogical Association of Canada (MAC) Winnipeg - Guidebooks (1996 & 2013)
Geological Survey of Canada / Natural Resources Canada (try multiple search strategies: field trip, fieldtrip, guidebook, field guide, excursion guide)
Northwest Geology Field Trips (including British Columbia)
Saskatchewan Geological Society
USA (Regions)
Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Environmental Impacts of Karst (The Sinkhole Conference).
USGS Publications Warehouse (try multiple search strategies: field trip, fieldtrip, guidebook, field guide, excursion guide)
North Central (Midwest) USA
Illinois
Illinois State Geological Survey Field Trip Guidebooks (Public Trips)
See the ISGS publications page for guidebooks in other series
Indiana
Iowa
Geological Society of Iowa Guidebook Series
Iowa Geological Survey - Guidebooks
Kansas
Field trips - Kansas Geological Survey
Lake Superior
Institute on Lake Superior Geology - Guidebooks
Michigan
Institute on Lake Superior Geology
Minnesota
Minnesota Geological Survey - Guidebook Series (U Minn Digital Conservancy)
Minnesota Geological Survey (guidebook OR field trip - in all MGS collections)
Missouri
Association of Missouri Geologists
Nebraska
North Dakota
Ohio
Ohio Academy of Science, Geology Section - Field Trip Guides
South Dakota
South Dakota Geological Survey - Guidebook Series
Wisconsin
Wisconsin Geological & Natural History Survey - Field Trip Guidebooks (some are free downloads)
Northeastern USA
Connecticut
Friends of the Pleistocene
Northeastern Cell - Guidebooks
Maine
Geological Society of Maine - Guidebooks
Maine Geological Survey Guidebooks (Select Publication Availability = free PDF; Search All Fields = guidebook)
Massachusetts
New England
New England Intercollegiate Geological Conference (NEIGC) - guidebooks
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Friends of the Grenville (New York, Ontario, Quebec)
New York State Geological Association - Guidebooks
Pennsylvania
Field Conference of Pennsylvania Geologists - Guidebooks
Pennsylvania Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey - Park Guides
Pennsylvania Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey - Virtual Field Trips
Rhode Island
Vermont
Vermont Geological Survey - State Parks
Rocky Mountains USA
Colorado
Colorado Front Range Self-Guided Geology Field Trips - By Kackstaetter
Colorado Geological Survey Field Trips
Friends of the Pleistocene
Idaho
Belt Symposium - Guidebooks (search Belt Symposium; some online)
Idaho Geological Survey (click "publications" in the left column menu; the search "guide" in the text search box at top page)
Montana
Montana-Yellowstone Geologic Field Guide Database Link - Note: Most of these are NOT free full-text online guidebooks.
Nevada
Utah
Geologic Guides - Utah Geological Survey
Utah DRN - Guidebooks (search "guidebook"; search "field trip") - some links to free downloads (click "Link")
ST GEORGE 30‘ X 60’ 3-D GEOLOGIC MAP AND VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP
Utah Geological Association - road logs (some free online)
Wyoming
Wyoming State Geological Survey - Guidebooks (search "guidebook" in search box)
Pacific USA
Alaska
Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (search "guidebook")
Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (search "field trip")
California
Friends of the Pleistocene
Hawaii
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - Self-guided field trips
Oregon
Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries - Field Trips (In DOGAMI Publication Type, select "field trips")
Washington
Geological Society of Washington - Guidebooks
Washington Geologic Survey (in keyword box, search "guidebook"; or search "field trip"; or search "geologic guide")
Southeastern USA
Alabama
Geological Survey of Alabama - Online Guidebooks (select guidebooks)
Arkansas
Arkansas Geological Survey - Guidebooks (some available online)
Carolinas
Carolina Geological Society Field Trip Guidebooks
Delaware
Delaware Geological Survey - Guidebooks (search "guidebook"; search "field trip")
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
American Institute of Professional Geologists. Kentucky Section - Guidebooks
Kentucky Geological Survey - Guidebooks
Kentucky Society of Professional Geologists [Title changed from Geological Society of Kentucky in 1997]
Louisiana
Maryland
Mississippi
North Carolina
Appalachian Geological Society - Guidebooks
South Carolina
South Carolina Geological Survey - Field Trip Guidebook
Southeastern Geological Society - Guidebooks
Tennessee
Virginia
Catalogue of Fieldtrip Guidebooks and Road Logs for Virginia - Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Publication 130
West Virginia
Southwestern USA
Arizona
Arizona Geological Society - Guidebooks
Arizona Geological Survey Document Repository (Search "guidebook")
Arizona Geological Survey Document Repository (Search "field trip")
Friends of the Pleistocene
Pacific Cell [Formerly: Pacific Coast Section]
New Mexico
Decision Makers Guidebooks - New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources & other state and local governmental agencies
New Mexico Geology Virtual Tour - New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Geological Survey - Guidebooks
Texas
Austin Geological Society - Guidebooks
El Paso Geological Society - Guidebooks
GLOBAL
Carribbean
Bahamas
Symposium on the Geology of the Bahamas - Do browser search; each symposium handled separately; some available full text at various URLs (e.g. http://www.geraceresearchcentre.com/pdfs/1stgeology/Curran.pdf)
International Associations
International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior - Guidebooks (Click IAVCEI Products at the top, and then AVCEi Field Guide Series on the left)
International Conference on the Ordovician System (12th)
Articles
Virtual Rocks , by Declan G. De Paor: GSA TODAY , Article, pp. 4-1 , doi: 10.1130/GSATG257A.1
Return to GSIS Guidebooks Committee Home Page
Created 4/18/2011 by Lura Joseph
Revised 20 Jan 2016
Page updated
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