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