Turfgrass Information Center >> The Database >> Searching TGIF

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Introduction
Interfaces and Availability
Subject Coverage

Introduction
The Turfgrass Information File (TGIF) provides bibliographic and descriptive records of all types of works related to turfgrass culture. TGIF was established in 1983 by the United States Golf Association (USGA) Turfgrass Research Committee and the Michigan State University Libraries, and is now maintained by the Turfgrass Information Center, a division of MSU Libraries. The ultimate goal of TGIF is to provide access to all published materials reporting on aspects of turfgrass and its maintenance.

Read more about the 20th anniversary of TGIF!

TGIF indexes a wide range of materials including journals, monographs, fact sheets and pamphlets, images, and web documents. Most records in TGIF contain informative abstracts; some contain full text or are linked to web-accessible full text. Records in TGIF are indexed using controlled vocabulary from the Turfgrass Thesaurus, produced by the Turfgrass Information Center, with additional identifiers where needed.

Online access to TGIF at the present time is by subscription only. Subscribers can include individuals, academic institutions, corporations, and professional associations. Check to see if you have access to TGIF already! One objective of the TIC Endowment Campaign is to make access free in the future.

View Sample TGIF Records

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Interfaces and Availability
TGIF is available in a Web-searchable engine. Current interfaces include:

I. Search Interfaces:

1. Basic Search, a fill-in-the-blank, keyword search interface. To use the Basic Search, try to keep it simple: for example, "Poa annua seedhead suppression", "White grub control", "Algae control in ponds", or "Zoysia sprigging".

2. Guided Search, to walk users through more refined searches, including use of Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) as well as limiting search results by a number of characteristics

3. Power Search (for experienced users), a full functionality, command-based search interface.

II. Browse Interfaces:

1. Browse Turf Topics, allows user to choose among prepared search sets on topics of current interest.

2. Browse Full-Text Journals, a listing of links to sites hosting full-text turfgrass journals. Includes publicly-available journals, such as USGA Green Section Record dating back to 1921 and USGA Turfgrass and Environmental Research Online dating back to 2002, and restricted-access journals, such as International Turfgrass Bulletin dating back to 1951 and Journal of Turfgrass and Sports Surface Science dating back to 1929. View the complete list of full-text resources!

3. What's NEW in Turfgrass Research, a fastlink to TGIF records of recent research in turfgrass.

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Subject Coverage
The Turfgrass Information Center selects materials according to a broad definition of turfgrass. Turfgrass is defined as grass or grass-like ground covers used in golf courses, parks, sports fields, lawns, sod farms, roadsides, institutional grounds, and for other utility, recreational or aesthetic purposes. Subjects covered by TGIF include:

• Description and biology of turfgrass species and cultivars
• Description and biology of turfgrass pests, weeds, and other related organisms
• Turf culture methods and techniques
• Turf care equipment and equipment maintenance
• Golf and sports facility maintenance
• Turfgrass breeding and improvement
• Turfgrass seed production
• Sod production, installation and maintenance
• Sod and turfgrass seed industry trends
• Regulatory and political aspects of turf culture
• Turfgrass water use
• Golf and sports facility industry trends
• Golf course architecture and design
• Lawn and landscape management industry trends
• Turf user/turf manager relations
• Turf-related business management
• Profiles of turf-related businesses and facilities
• Biography of turfgrass researchers and professionals
• The lawn in popular culture
• Environmental aspects of turf culture
• Social and historical aspects of turf culture
• Turfgrass as a land use form

Sources
Materials indexed by the Turfgrass Information File include articles from peer reviewed publications, technical reports and conference proceedings, trade and professional publications, local professional newsletters, and popular magazines as well as monographs, theses and dissertations, fact sheets and brochures, software, and web documents. TGIF indexes materials from government, college/university, professional organization, and private publishers. Coverage emphasizes English-language materials but does include coverage of non-English languages.

An Indexing Comparison of the Turfgrass Information File (TGIF) with Four Other Databases and Google Scholar

File Information
Dates: Over 90% of TGIF content was published between 1968 and present; some earlier materials present, including all USGA Green Section publications since 1921. Retrospective coverage detail.
Update Frequency: Updated on a continuous basis; about 6,000 records are added per year
File Size: Over 138,000 records as of September 2008
Full Text Content: Approximately 35% of TGIF records are linked to web-accessible full text or include full text.

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