Getting the Geo-Best of GeoRef: Considerations for Database Interface Evaluation

Collection budgets are tight but library users continue to need access to specialized resources. At Penn State University Libraries, we recently had the opportunity to review several different interfaces of GeoRef. The GeoRef database contains the most comprehensive global references in geosciences. The database is maintained by the American Geosciences Institute, but various vendors offer searching interfaces and access. This presentation will share information on the process, including a review of findings across the multiple GeoRef platforms. We plan to delve into the strengths each interface possesses across differing user groups (undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty researchers), limiter options, special features, and general sense of the look and feel. While the cost of each database varies from institution to institution, this presentation still will provide a helpful baseline to librarians looking to find the best GeoRef interface for their own library.