Information and Referral databases are generally a service provided to clients that refer the client to an organization or a group of individuals who can meet a particular need. To find out about local drug abuse support groups, a client could inquire about what services were offered within a community, region, state, or some other geographical location. The information and referral database would match the client's needs to the availability of those needs.

Crucial with this type of database is the necessity of maintaining a current list of services and service providers and having the most complete list possible. This kind of database requires that someone is constantly updating the information, because wrong information is useless, and possibly life-threatening. Also, some I&R databases request client information which the clients are often (understandably) unwilling to provide, due to the private and sensitive nature of the information. This is a difficult line to draw, especially if government agencies request demographics or other data on who is calling your service.

Information and Referral databases are relatively straightforward in design, but need a lot of time investment to keep them current. Also, because these kinds of databases are usually used in organizations where several people are answering phones and using the database at the same time, it requires a decent investment in a fast machine and a network.

This document was prepared with the help of Mentors Erik Bansleben, epb@bellsouth.net and Gary Orthuber, nccorthu@rain.org