The best way to identify fossils is to consult a publication on the local
fossils. Yes, one's first idea is always to head for the biggest book on
fossils, like the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, but it's more
efficient to study a book or article on the local fauna. Of course, it
takes more work to find the article on local fauna, since it may be buried
deep in the bowels of some long-forgotten journal. Ah, but that is what
interlibrary loans are for.

How do you find the references to begin with? I use GeoRef, an electronic
database to which the Survey library subscribes. Most universities that
offer geology courses subscribe to GeoRef. Ask the reference librarian how
to use it, and you may be amazed at how easy it is. Of course, some
libraries charge per citation and others don't, so it's wise to ask first.

For instance, if I want to know how to identify a fossil cowry from the
Pliocene of Florida, I might search for "Pliocene and Florida and Mollusca"
for general articles on Pliocene paleontology, or "Pliocene and Cypraeidae"
for monographs on fossil cowries.

Or you can ask Conch-L, and often get a swift answer, as happened this
time!

Andrew K. Rindsberg
Geological Survey of Alabama