While 6,900+ of the databases profiled within bird: Base Inventory of Research Databases are commercial (fee-based), bird also provides profiles of over 2,000 Open Access research databases. What does this mean to library specialists and advanced users? It means that, for the first time, a single-stop resource to explore the spectrum of OA research content is at hand—at the same time you explore commercial options as well. The OA profiles in bird are vast, covering nearly all(read more)

Every bird deserves a nest, and so here it is.  A  year ago, Paratext launched bird: Base Inventory of Research Databases.   The response has been fantastic, and many libraries are now using it to make better decisions about their research database collection.   But a few questions lingered. How does our library compare with others?  Well, Paratext now has an answer for that--nest. nest is a new suite of library comparison analytics, built upon(read more)

"Some birds are poets, and sing all summer."  -- Henry David Thoreau, journals, July 1852. bird helps selectors, public services librarians, collection analysts and advanced researchers stay current on all research databases. When you use bird, you know what is out there--and save time spent wandering the web. Here is the latest on recent bird additions:   *  376 new database profiles added since February As editorial work expands,(read more)

  “It is spring again.  The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.”     — Rainer Maria Rilke.   Spring is when birds take center stage. With this in mind, here's the latest on bird: Base Inventory of Research Databases from Paratext.    EBOOK collections now also in bird The inclusion of eBook collections within bird has been a much-debated issue for our editorial group since the project began in 2021.(read more)

Paratext launched bird; Base Inventory of Research Databases last Tuesday at the Charleston Conference, and we were rather encouraged by the enthusiastic response from the attendees who saw it live.    Well, things got even better after the exhibits closed. During the Charleston Premiers segment later on, the roughly 200 attendees at the session were polled and voted bird, the Best Overall New Product and Best Designed New Product! This is enormously gratifying.(read more)