There is a glaring omission in the mosaic of scholarly information sources. Paratext has heeded the call.
Libraries spend millions every year providing access to web-based research databases, from PsycInfo and Foreign Trade Statistics to the Digital Archives of Medieval Culture.
But where does one see them all? Who produces them? Are they Open Access or fee-based? Do these have identifiable research value?
Most important of all, how much time is required for all of this?
bird is an entirely new research and publishing initiative, created by research librarians, to identify and catalog the universe of web-based research databases found in academic libraries.
Editorial analysis of bird: The Base Inventory of Research Databases began in 2021. After deduplicating, normalizing, and removing out-of-scope titles from our initial lists, the bird founding team identified approximately 7,500 unique research database titles. The editorial team is continually engaged in discovering new titles; titles that are available but no longer updated; as well as titles that have ceased publication.
The content within bird reflects U.S. academic interests. The number of titles by academic disciplines show the popularity of career-focused departments (such as business/economics, engineering, medicine, public health, law, and nursing), as well as the demand for liberal arts and social science materials.
The bird editorial team established the following guidelines for the inclusion of a title in bird. A database:
For subject specialists and collection staff a major issue is simply having enough time to stay abreast of all the content available to meet user needs. bird answers:
A core feature of bird is that every search indicates which database title your library already has access to. This feature allows you to assess how your current collection matches with all available resources. Each library has their own customized portal to update your holdings whenever you choose, requiring no complicated technical support. It’s point and click.
Paratext (est. 1993) and Compendium Library Services (est. 2006) are embarked upon a long-term initiative to refine and enrich bird data, as well deploy clear reporting tools which adapt with the needs of each institution.
Please sign up for our email list — we’ll fly by to keep you up-to-date.
Diane H. Smith, Lead Editor, MLS, MBA
Associate University Librarian for Research and Educational Services, George Mason University; VP, Product Management, ProQuest; VP, Product Development and Management, LexisNexis; Chief, Reference and Instructional Services, Pennsylvania State University.
Dr. Erica Swenson Danowitz, EdD, MLS, MA
Chat Reference Librarian; former Professor and Librarian, Delaware County Community College.
Louise Mort Feldmann, MLIS
Assistant Professor and OER Librarian at Delaware County Community College; Business Librarian and Social Sciences Coordinator at Colorado State University.
Stacey Marien, MSLS, MBA
Librarian Emerita, American University; Business Librarian and Acquisitions Librarian; Business Librarian, Elon College (now University.)
Sue Miller, MSLS, BS, Management Engineering
Independent Librarian in reference, research, and information; engineer in industry and distribution.
Andrea D. Rodgers, MLIS, BA History
Associate Professor of Library Services and Reference/E-Resources Librarian at Delaware County Community College.
Helen M. Sheehy, MLIS
Associate Librarian Emerita, Pennsylvania State University; Head of Social Sciences and Maps Library.
Christine Carlson Whittington, MSLS, MA
Former Library Director, James Addison Jones Library, Greensboro College; Head of Arts Library, Pattee Library, Pennsylvania State University; Head of Reference, Fogler Library, University of Maine.