ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- Users of the World Wide Web can now get up-to-date information on recently published geoscience literature simply by visiting the American Geological Institute's (AGI) website: <http://www.agiweb.org>. The Preview Database, released in August by AGI's GeoRef Information System, can be accessed free of charge. This new service provides access to bibliographic references going into the GeoRef database before they are in their final edited and indexed form.

The Preview Database is updated weekly on the AGI web page. When the listed information is in its final form, it is removed from the Preview Database and loaded into GeoRef. Every week, new references that are entering the GeoRef production process will be added to the Preview Database.

The Preview Database is easy to use. Visit the AGI home page and go to the GeoRef page. Then go to the Preview Database. Articles can be searched by subject category, keyword, or by journal title. There are 30 subject categories and numerous subcategories that may be searched. When the related titles are listed, click on the one you're interested in to view the full bibliographic entry.

GeoRef is the most comprehensive bibliographic database in the world, with more than 2 million references, and is used by an international list of subscribers. With the arrival of the Preview Database, geoscience literature can be accessed much more quickly than ever before.