“Datapages is a tremendous digital library; it can be a key asset for any geologist, geophysicist or engineer.”
AAPG Executive Director Rick Fritz said it concisely in his January EXPLORER column, adding that “the growing importance of the Datapages archive has made it nearly indispensible to the working E&P geologist.”
AAPG recently announced it was offering a group member discount to the Datapages archives through the AAPG Members Only program, so all members would have affordable subscription access to the entire database.
Individuals previously were able to subscribe to the archives, but at the smallest corporate price. With “Group Discount” pricing, an AAPG member can get a cost break – and his subscription can be managed through his Member Profile on the AAPG website.
Non-members still must subscribe through the corporate/institutional plan and pay the higher pricing.
“Managing a member’s subscription through his Members Only profile saves us money,” said Jim Blankenship, AAPG geoscience director, “and we can pass along the savings.”
Since 2003 each AAPG member has been able to access the archives of the AAPG BULLETIN as part of their membership in the Association. But the BULLETIN files are only a part of the total Archives database.
More than 30 organizations now have their publications archives within the Datapages collection, and Datapages’ long-term plan is to acquire and include publications of all AAPG-affiliated societies as well as any publisher in the upstream E&P community.
The original goal of the Datapages program when it began in 1990 was to have everything in the database – any published document that might help a geologist find oil or gas.
We still have a long way to go, but having all this extra material only adds depth to the value of a search through the Archives.
In addition to the Datapages Archives, AAPG also offers 12-month subscription plans for PTTC’s “TECHPLACE,” an archive of short course workbooks, newsletters and executive reports. TECHPLACE access can be combined with Archives access under a single, simultaneous search.
A 12-month subscription to “TECHPLACE” is $125 through AAPG Members Only.
AAPG’s GIS archive, “GIS-UDRIL,” currently is not available through Members Only, but plans are to include that database later this year. Pricing has not been set for GIS-UDRIL.
The Value Is ...
Whether a member finds value in a Single User subscription depends on circumstances. Blankenship pointed out this is designed as a one-person product. Where more than two-three geologists or geotechs work in the same place it probably will be cheaper to buy a Corporate/Institutional subscription (which are priced and discounted according to the number of users in a group).
“An individual geologist can consider this his ‘library card’ – a subscription certainly saves you time and money,” said Nancy Mueller, Datapages marketing coordinator. “A subscription almost certainly will save you that much in gasoline, parking and time away from the office.”
Up to now, most single users have gone to our transactional (pay-per-view) website (payperview.datapages.com), and many infrequent users will still find that to be the best value because the user only pays for the few articles he wants.
The Members Asked for It
According to AAPG President Dave Rensink, “AAPG is first and foremost about the science of petroleum geology. We disseminate it through our publications and we archive it in Datapages, GIS-UDRIL and SearchandDiscovery.com.
“Nearly one-third of all AAPG members are self-employed and work as independents or consultants. Most in this group do not have a library staff or IT support, so it is important for AAPG to assume this role to the extent we can,” he added.
Subscribing is easy. Go to Members Only on the AAPG home page and log on, using your ID and password. Look for “Datapages Archives” at the bottom of the (red) right-hand column for access to a subscription form.
AAPG accepts most credit cards. Access to this database is sold as a single-user product. Sharing your password is discouraged, and a password can be used by only one person at a time.
Not sure if you will use this database? Try the same Datapages Archives (without a subscription)