Welcome to the Help page of the IPA Fossil Collections of the World. This page is designed to answer questions concerning the database in general and the specific use of web pages to enter and retrieve data. This web site has a simple three-fold structure that facilitates the entry and retrieval of data. Data can be entered by filling out the form on the New Record page. Contact information and details about particular fossil collections can be gathered either from the Search page or from the Index page. This Help page discusses aspects of all three parts of the web site, with sample screen shots illustrating particular topics.

New Record Help | Search Help | Index Help | Search Results Help

To enter data into the database, first go to the New Record page. Fill out the forms listing contact information for the institution that houses the collection as well as a description of the nature of the collection. In some instances you must select your responses from pull-down menus.

 

Please fill out your contact information as completely as possible. Including the institution's phone number, fax number, and e-mail address will facilitate communication for those who have an interest in the collection.

The New Record page allows for the inclusion of contact information for the person in charge of the collection, other professional staff members, as well as a listing of any additional staff members. (Please separate names of additional staff members with a comma).

Many of the fields that pertain to the description of the collection have corresponding notes that are designed to help the user give the most appropriate description of the collection. Please read these notes when entering data about the collection. The notes contain particular questions to consider as well as examples of the type of information requested. Because they open in a separate browser window, any data already entered in the New Record forms will be preserved while one consults the notes.

The notes are based on the questionnaire used to collect data for the 1st edition of Fossil Collections of the World: An International Guide, ed. B.D. Webby (1989).

The Fossil Collections database includes a listing of taxa and geologic eras from which to make selections that best describe the contents of significant aspects of the collection. Simply check the appropriate boxes to select the desired taxa and ages.

Please be as thorough as possible when describing the taxa and eras represented in your collection, for this will be one of the primary search fields through which others will find your collection listed on the database.

After listing the taxa and ages represented in the collection, you will be asked to describe the methods of curation used in the collection, the primary uses of the collection, whether there exists a published type catalogue that accompanies the collection, as well as questions concerning cataloging of the collection in electronic databases. Additionally there are forms for describing any lending policies concerning the use of specimens from the collection and any in-house publications associated with your department or institution. Finally, there is a space for any additional notes you feel are necessary to further describe your collection. Some of these sections have corresponding notes to help guide you through the process of entering data. Remember that all information entered will be available for anyone who searches the Fossil Collections database.

After making these selections click the button labeled "Enter New Record" to enter the data into the IPA Fossil Collections of the World database. If you have entered the data correctly, you will next see a page stating that a new record has been successfully added. Congratulations. From there you can navigate to other areas of the web site.

If, for some reason, your data are not accepted, you will next see a page stating that a new record has not been added. If so, please return to the New Record page, check your entries, and try again. If you make a mistake in your entry, please enter another complete record, then notify the webmaster and briefly describe the nature of the mistake. The incorrect record will then be deleted. For any problems concerning entering a new record into the directory not covered in this help page, please contact the webmaster.

The search page allows users to search the entire database according to user-defined search parameters. To use the search function of the Fossil Collections database, first go to the Search page, and then enter the desired information into at least one field of the search form. The nine primary, searchable fields are Institution, Institutional Acronym, Institution Type, Department or Division, State or Province, Country, Taxa and Eras Represented, Named Collections, and Contact Person. One or more of these fields may be used in a search of the Fossil Collections database. These eight fields enable a user to locate fossil collections around the world according to the user's needs. The search function is not case sensitive.

Click here for a list of search options for the Institution Type, Taxa and Eras Represented categories.

The search function of the Fossil Collections database is flexible enough to provide a variety of ways to search and organize all the data collected in the database. If, for example, a user would like a listing of all collections containing ostracodes from the paleozoic, then filling in the desired terms in the proper fields will return a list of all matching collections. For ease of use, all search results are sorted first by Institution and then Department in ascending alphabetical order. To search for a combination of both taxon and era the entries must be hyphenated as in the present example. Go here for a complete list of taxa and eras options.

The user can also expand the number of search results that are returned by selecting "Match any words between fields" on the search form. In the previous example, such a setting would return a list of collections that match either the Taxa Represented or Ages Represented categories. Selecting "Match all words between fields" would narrow the number of search results by returning a list of only those collections that match both the Taxa Represented and Ages Represented categories. The default setting is to match all words between fields.

Once data have been entered into at least one field, click the "Start Search" button to search the Fossil Collections database. Click the "Display All Records" button to see all records currently contained in the database. If your search was successful, you will next go to the Search Results page. If your search was unsuccessful, either no data were entered in any field on the search form, or there are currently no records of collections in the database matching the specified search criteria. For any problems concerning a search of the Fossil Collections database not covered in this help page, please contact the webmaster.

Perhaps the easiest way to search the Fossil Collections database is by using the Index page. There are two ways to use the index feature of the Fossil Collections database. One can search the database by geographic location or by institution. To perform either search of the database, first go to the Index page.

All records in the Fossil Collections database can be viewed alphabetically, arranged by the host country. First go to the Geographic Index page then simply select a country from the pull-down menu and click the "Start Search" button. The default setting of the database is to return a list of collections housed in the country selected, sorted by institution and department, ascending alphabetically.

The Institution Index can also be used to search the Fossil Collections database. First go to the Institution Index page, then simply click the "Find All Institutions" button. The default setting is to return a list of institutions and departments or divisions, sorted alphabetically. A search of the Institution Index returns a list of departments or divisions with actively linked e-mail addresses and web sites (where appropriate). Clicking on the institution name will display the full record for the chosen institution.

For any problems concerning the use of either the Geographic Index or the Institution Index not covered in this help page, please contact the webmaster.

The Geographic Index page and Search page return records that are displayed in a Search Results page. The returned records display the contact information for the queried institution or department, arranged alphabetically by institution name and department or division name.

The Search Results page provides the user with a list of several matching records at a glance. To see more detailed information bout a particular collection, simply click on the highlighted name. Each record can then be seen in its entirety in an Individual Record page listing all the data entered from the New Record page. Each Individual Record page also lists contact information for the institution or department as well as for the persons in charge of the collection (including mailing addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers, and e-mail addresses where applicable).

For any problems concerning the use of the Fossil Collections database not covered in this help page, please contact the webmaster.

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