6.1: Library and Information Resources

Provide Rapid, Comprehensive, and Long-Term Access to the Full Range of Agricultural Information Resources Through a Variety of National Agricultural Library (NAL) Delivery Systems, With Particular Emphasis on Digital Technologies

Other Information:

In 2002, the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board made recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture about the role and future development of the National Agricultural Library. In particular, the Board recommended that NAL work with a broad array of partners and stakeholders to develop the NAL National Digital Library for Agriculture (NDLA). The NDLA incorporates many of NAL’s existing programs and services, while deepening and expanding NAL’s digital collections and electronic information services. By 2007, NAL expects to have made significant progress toward developing the NDLA. The NDLA will provide services via highly trained specialized staff and modern information technologies, based on a mix of printed and other physical publications and a large universe of information that will exist primarily or solely in digital format. These services will enable NAL to provide integrated, seamless access to a broader and deeper array of resources than has been possible through previous services. Performance Measures: 6.1.1: Develop and deliver content for the NAL National Digital Library for Agriculture (NDLA). Baseline: 2002 –The National Agricultural Library (NAL) receives 19,000 printed journal titles and serial publications and manages the access for USDA to 2,100 digital publications (ejournals, statistics, reports, databases, etc.). This literature, along with that already in NAL’s more than 3 million item national collection of agricultural literature, documents the knowledge base in the food and agricultural sciences. Procedures and policies for delivering electronic publications to desktops, for example via NAL’s DigiTop initiative for USDA staff, are evolving. NAL provides information to a broad customer base via reference services, web sites, and specialized information centers. NAL provides leadership and support for the Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC). Target: 2007 – NAL’s national collection of agricultural literature in printed, digital, and other publication formats is comprehensive. NAL provides information in direct support of USDA priorities in agriculture to a very large and broad customer base via Web-based reference and information services, digital desktop access for licensed electronic publications, and rapid document delivery for paper-based materials. NAL serves as the hub for an information network of libraries and institutions with access to a variety of information resources. 6.1.2: Integrate the NAL AGRICOLA database into the NDLA. Baseline: 2002 – AGRICOLA resides on an obsolete computer system implemented in 1988. A standard methodology to link AGRICOLA citations to the full text of publications available in digital form has not been implemented. Throughput time for AGRICOLA indexing of journal articles averages 180 days from receipt of the journal issue to appearance of indexing records in AGRICOLA. Target: 2007 – AGRICOLA is the state-of-the-art online index to all NAL resources. AGRICOLA is compatible with current information technology standards for record input and output as well as for linking digital resources. Throughput time for indexing top priority journal articles is 30 days or less. 6.1.3: Ensure long-term access to the resources of the NAL NDLA. Baseline: 2002 – A digitization program is initiated to convert USDA publications from printed copies into digital publications. Metadata standards are developed for description of digital resources and the registration of persistent unique identifiers for digital objects, which will enable long-term consistent retrieval of publications in digital format. Target: 2007 – NAL will have digitized and preserved digitally 50,000 core documents from NAL non-digital collection materials to preserve them and provide Web access for customers. NAL takes responsibility for USDA documents by implementing a national plan for preserving agricultural information in standard digital formats.

Indicator(s):

Indicator:1

Content