Editorial Structure of bird

The editorial framework for the Base Inventory of Research Databases began in 2021.

The bird® team of research librarians, led by project director Diane H. Smith*, investigates the full repository landscape, focusing on content which reflects North American academic interests. The editorial team has sole authority over all data in bird®. As of 2025, more than 8,900 databases are now profiled. This includes over 2,000 fully-vetted Open Access research databases.

What qualifies to be a bird database?

Must support scholarly research undertaken at the college and university level.
May be broad or narrow in scope, but must have value beyond a small geographic area.
May cover a wide range of publication types, or may be limited to one format.
May be fee-based, Open Access or hybrid content.
While most titles are in English, Spanish, German and French, there are strong collections in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese reflecting the global research environment.

Publishing Structure

bird: Base Inventory of Research Databases ® is a sole-source, proprietary application produced by Paratext, in technology partnership with Compendium Library Services. bird® is available as an institutionally licensed resource. For trial use and pricing, please visit here.

* Diane H. Smith, MLS, MBA, has served as Associate University Librarian for Research and Educational Services, George Mason University; VP, Product Management, ProQuest; VP, Product Development and Management, LexisNexis; and Chief, Reference and Instructional Services, Pennsylvania State University.