National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

 

Report on the National Agricultural Library - 2001 

Contents

Executive Summary

Report

Appendices

NOTICE: Public comments on this report received prior to September 16, 2002 will be considered in the

development of specific recommendations by the National Agricultural Research, Education, Extension, and

Economics Advisory Board for the future management of the National Agricultural Library.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to Dr. Susan McCarthy, Technical Information Specialist, USDA,

ARS, National Agricultural Library, 10301 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD 20705-2351. Submit E-mail

comments to comments@nal.usda.gov, or complete the comment form on this Web-site. Print copies of the

Report are available for on-site review in the Reading Room of the National Agricultural Library in Beltsville,

MD and at the D.C. Reference Center, Room 1052, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C.

20250-7201.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Dr. Susan McCarthy, Phone: 301-504-5510, or FAX:

301-504-6951, or by E-mail: smccarth@nal.usda.gov, please refer to the Federal Register Notice in the subject

line.

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Report on NAL

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Report Cover Page

Report on the National Agricultural Library – 2001

Table of Contents

Executive Summary E1-E5

Report

 1. Interagency Panel for Assesment of the National

 Agricultural Library Appointed with Charge 1

 2. What Progress since 1982? 2

2.1 Legislative and Administrative 2

2.2 Collection Building 3

2.3 International and Networking Initiatives 3

2.4 Information Technology 5

 3. Reasons for Current Review 5

 4. Methods of Panel Study 6

4.1. Customer and Staff Survey Methods 7

 5. Findings 8

5.1. NAL: A National Library by Law 8

5.2. Disparity in National Libraries 9

5.3. Comparison to ARL Library Budgets 12

5.4. Summary of NAL Customer Survey Results 13

5.5. Summary of NAL Staff Survey 16

5.6. Summary of Library Directors Survey Response 17

5.7. Summary of USAIN AGRICOLA Survey 18

5.8. Analysis of NAL Strengths and Weaknesses as

 Identified by Survey Respondents and Panel Members 19

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5.9. Private Sector Users> 21

 6. Discussion Related to Recommendations 21

6.1. Organizational Structure 21

6.1.1. Mission Statement 21

6.1.2. Vision Statement 22

6.1.3. Budget Support 23

6.1.4. Organizational Placement of NAL within USDA 24

6.1.5. Board of Regents 25

6.1.6. Director (See also 6.1.4.) 26

6.1.7. Friends Group 26

6.1.8. Development/Gifts 27

6.2. Planning Process 27

6.2.1. 5-Year Reviews 27

6.2.2. User Surveys 27

6.2.3. Internal Advisory Groups 28

6.2.4. Long-Range Plans 28

6.2.5. National Digital Library Planning 29

6.2.6. Market Adaptation 30

6.2.7. Facility and Space Issues 30

6.3. Leadership Issues/Opportunities 32

6.3.1. Challenges, Future Threats 33

6.3.2. Opportunity: Knowledge Management and

 Digital Library Initiatives 34

6.3.3. Opportunity: Preservation Initiatives 34

6.3.4. Opportunity: Collaborative Relationships 35

6.4. Innovations in Information Services 35

6.4.1. Technology Issues 35

6.4.2. Innovative Technologies Grant Program 36

6.4.3. AGRICOLA 37

6.4.4. Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC) 38

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6.4.5. Information Centers 39

6.4.6. Document Delivery 40

 7. Recommendations of the Panel 40

 8. Implementation of Recommendations 48

 9. Members of the Panel 49

10. List of Appendices 50

A. Charge

B. National Agricultural Library (1982 Recommendations–Status) March 5, 2001

C. Milestones 1982 – 2000 National Agricultural Library, March 1, 2001

D. NAL Review and Planning Agenda

PL 101-624 in the "Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990" (sections relevant to

NAL statutory status)

E. 

F. Report by B & C subcommittee, in full

G. User Survey questionnaires

H. Library Operations: NLM and NIH Budget Analysis

I. NAL, NLM and LC Budget Increases 1990-2001; 1991-2001

J. User Survey Sample comments

K. NAL Staff Survey Results - Slide Version - Text Version

L. Technical Services Division Performance Indicators FY97-FY00

M. NAL Materials Acquisitions 1992-2000

N. Collection Size by Subject, 1993 and 1997

O. NAL Strategic Plan FY 1996-2001 Annual Operating Plan FY1999

P. NAL Strategic Plan FY 1996-2001 Annual Operating Plan FY2000

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Q. NAL Strategic Plan FY 1996-2001 Annual Operating Plan FY2001

R. National Agricultural Library Budget Requests 1990-2001

S. Chart 1, Percentage Change in the Budget for NLM's Division of Library Operations

T. Chart 2, Division of Library Operations (LO) Budget as a Percentage of the Total NLM Budget

U. Chart 3, NLM, Division of Library Operations (LO) and NAL Budget Comparison

V. Library Services (NLM Div. LO)/NIH Library/NAL (table)

W. NLM Long-Range Planning Process

X. NAL Technology Plan 2000

Y. Report of Panel subcommittee to study long range planning

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Report - Section 1

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Executive Summary and Panel Recommendations

USDA Under Secretary Miley Gonzales and Deputy Department Secretary Rominger appointed the present

Panel in October 2000 to conduct a study of the National Agricultural Library to, in words of the charge

(Appendix A in full report):

"...review the activities of the National Agricultural Library in pursuit of its mandate to serve as the chief

agricultural information resource of the United States and make recommendations to the Under Secretary,

Research, Education, and Economics on NAL's management, staff, programs and operations."

The last full review of the National Agricultural Library (NAL) occurred in 1982 (See Appendix B in the

full report, a summary of the activities that resulted from the 1982 recommendations, and Appendix C,

"Milestones 1982-2000 – National Agricultural Library," prepared by the National Agricultural Library).

The present Panel reviewed relevant laws, NAL management and staff, other U.S. national libraries, USDA

administrators, and conducted a survey of NAL's many diverse users.

The NAL was officially made a national library by Congress in 1990 in PL 101-624, in the "Food,

Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990" (Appendix D). This law ensures that the NAL serves as a

National Library of the United States and as the Library of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (7 USCS

3125a 2001).

The Panel evaluated the Library’s success, both as a Library of the USDA alone, and in response to its

mandate to act as a national library. It was concluded that the NAL is unable, with its current level of

support, to do both well. User response indicates a generally satisfactory response to NAL from USDA

personnel, though there are weaknesses needing attention judging from site review of facilities, user

surveys, and NAL status reports. As a national library, however, the NAL has thus far been unable to meet

the expectations or the required intentions.

Recommendations of the Panel

The results of the customer surveys and the Panel’s analysis make a case for the continuation and

development of NAL’s intended role, both as a library service for USDA personnel, and as the project

centerpiece of a dynamic national agricultural information system.

As has occurred with the National Library of Medicine, this system would draw on innovative technologies

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to directly link users to quality content (abstracts, full-text, data, and information packages) in all areas

related to the sustainable management of natural resources in the support of the total U.S. food and fiber

enterprise. Included would be a complementary mix of services including a greatly enhanced AGRICOLA

database, a series of comprehensive and topical web sites, 24/7 document delivery, and all interconnected

through a powerful search interface providing users with the closest approximation possible to a

"one-stop-shopping" reality. Responses from NAL staff members demonstrate they understand these

customer needs and have a real interest in providing the high-quality services necessary to meet those needs.

What is lacking are the human and financial resources, and the explicit support of USDA, to do so.

Thus, the Panel recommends and endorses the following changes and improvements to our National

Agricultural Library system:

To fulfill its Congressionally mandated mission, the NAL should move as quickly as possible to attain and

maintain a leadership position in obtaining, managing and distributing new and previously unavailable

agricultural knowledge using the tools of the electronic digital age to meet demands of customers located

anywhere and in need of information anytime. Steps to reach this end include:

INNOVATIONS IN INFORMATION SERVICES

Provide rapid, accurate, comprehensive access to the full range of agricultural information

resources through a variety of the most cost-effective delivery systems, but with particular

emphasis on ensuring leadership in applications of advanced digital technologies, and based on

user-identified needs

a. 

Establish a national grant program on the NLM model, to be administered by NAL, for the

initiation of innovative and collaborative digital projects in agricultural information systems.

b. 

Update and enhance the AGRICOLA database to a level equivalent with the NLM's Medline

and PubMed services, particularly through improvements of the Web version, extent of

coverage, and linkages to full-text and summaries. Related to this, complete the retrospective

conversion of the NAL catalogue to digital form for inclusion in the ISIS online catalogue.

c. 

Further develop the Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC) Alliance and Program as

a portal to agricultural information, data, and resources, and as the foundation for a national

digital library for agriculture.

d. 

Continue to build the NAL Information Centers as subject gateways to key topics of particular

interest to citizens, policy makers, and scientists, based on frequent user surveys and

knowledge explosion.

e. 

Identify and initiate cost-effective improvements and expansion of the current document

delivery service.

f. 

Update and implement the Technology Plan of 2002 with modifications as needed to

accommodate recent and emerging advances in technology.

g. 

I. 

II. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

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The NAL should change its self-concept from being a place to that of performing

customer-driven functions, and its national role from being the place where every item is, into

the role of being the hub through which every item can be obtained online anytime.

a. 

Update and reaffirm the NAL mission and vision statements to reflect its mandate as a national

library and its commitment to the use of technology to meet the information needs of the U.S.

citizenry. Formulation of these statements is the responsibility of the NAL Director and the

proposed Board of Regents.

b. 

Provide 30 percent increases in funding each year from now until the next 5-year review when

programs and services will be formally reassessed and evaluated for successful initiation of

new directions. The Panel believes the annual NAL budget should eventually reach

approximately $100 million (2001 dollars) to meet its Congressionally mandated mission in the

digital age. This will provide sufficient resources to develop superior expert system search

tools, to hire and retain the infotech talent it needs, to fill the growing gaps in its coverage of

new knowledge in research journals and historical documents, and to ensure its security in view

of the new security hazards it will face. It will enable the NAL to provide services and levels of

service required of a National Library in the 21st century.

c. 

d. Increase the number of positions by 50 or more during the next 5-year review period.

Realign the NAL within USDA to reflect its national mission. To reflect this mission, the NAL

should report directly to the Secretary/Deputy Secretary of Agriculture.

e. 

Organize a Board of Regents, on the NLM model, to direct on long-range planning, advocate

for the NAL within USDA and elsewhere, guide the development of new products and services,

and monitor for quality in all services. A Strategic Planning Task Force should be appointed

and serve until a Board of Regents is implemented.

f. 

Develop a NAL Friends Support group to assist the Board of Regents and other groups in

promoting NAL programs and services.

g. 

Establish the position of the Director of the NAL in the Senior Executive Service, with a four

or more year term, and renewed based on performance; library degree is preferred but not

required.

(The strength of interest on the panel on this issue is represented by its range of opinions,

ranging from one emphasizing an exclusive political appointment to opinions that were open to

either/or: political appointment or inclusion in the Senior Executive Service, to opinions

advocating inclusion exclusively in the Senior Executive Services.)

h. 

Authorize the NAL to solicit and accept donations, with those funds exclusively designated for

use by the NAL.

i. 

Establish a Development Officer to enhance liaison with private foundations and individual

donors.

j. 

III. PLANNING & EVALUATION PROCESSES

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Introduce a formal five-year review by external reviewers, including USDA personnel, to

ensure progress on long-range plans and customer service orientation, with a 100% turnover of

the membership of that review group every 4-5 years.

a. 

Implement a system to obtain ongoing input from all categories of customers (web, in-person,

mail, telephone), and summarize the information in an annual report. These reports should

include actions taken in response to customer input and should be available to the public

through the NAL website.

b. 

Establish internal advisory groups from USDA agencies to provide feedback to NAL about its

products, services, and long-range plans.

c. 

Results from the five-year reviews and all other feedback data should guide the long-range

planning process. Long-range plans should be developed for a five- year period, with annual

updates by the Director and the proposed Board of Regents to ensure continued viability.

d. 

Complete and implement a plan for a national digital library for agriculture (NDLA) that will

be the main focus and long-term organizing principle for NAL and the national network of

university and industrial libraries.

e. 

Establish liaisons within NAL who will act as market managers to track specified NAL

customer segments for their needs and user satisfaction.

f. 

Develop a plan for facilities management and improvements, including space requirements, as

an integral part of the long-range planning process.

g. 

LEADERSHIP

Provide leadership for and become the central hub of the world's agriculture libraries to

facilitate users' access and use of agricultural information on a perpetual basis using a

knowledge management approach.

a. 

Continue to develop the NAL role in the preservation of digital publications-and- data initiative

of the USDA and in the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program.

b. 

Continue to take a leadership role in the development of national digital efforts to bring the

wealth of agriculture-related information and knowledge to U.S. citizens by using the most

advanced technologies and by developing the most advanced and easily used expert online

search system available.

c. 

Enhance contractual collaborative relationships with other governmental agencies and

non-governmental units to meet the NAL's mission for collaborative collection development,

preservation, and archival functions.

d. 

IV. 

Larry N. Vanderhoef, Chair of the Panel

Chancellor, University of California, Davis

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August 2001

Report - Section 1

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

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1. Interagency Panel for Assessment of the National Agricultural Library

 Appointed with Charge

USDA Under Secretary Miley Gonzales and Deputy Department Secretary Rominger appointed the present Panel

in October 2000 to conduct a study of the National Agricultural Library to, in words of the charge:

"...review the activities of the National Agricultural Library in pursuit of its mandate to serve as the chief

agricultural information resource of the United States and make recommendations to the Under Secretary,

Research, Education, and Economics on NAL's management, staff, programs and operations."

The complete statement of the charge is provided in Appendix A. The Secretaries appointed 13 members from

various parts of the country, representing a variety of experiences in libraries or agriculture, and named as chair

Larry N. Vanderhoef, Chancellor of the University of California, Davis. Two consultants were added on

recommendation of the Panel Chair. Members of the Panel are listed at the conclusion to this report. The

Department Secretaries requested that the Panel's work be concluded in a period not to exceed twelve months

from its appointment, making the final date October 2001. We herewith provide a full report of its activity and

major recommendations. The review may have special utility given the June 2001 retirement of the current

director.

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

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2. What Progress since 1982?

The 1982 review Panel concluded its work with a list of recommendations, some of which were implemented. A

summary of those recommendations and the activities and initiatives that resulted is included in Appendix B.

Many recommendations of the present review Panel repeat the same points raised in the 1982 review. Also

noteworthy is a summary of milestones achieved, as indicated in the document "Milestones 1982-2000 – National

Agricultural Library," prepared by the staff of the National Agricultural Library (Appendix C). This document

provides a comprehensive list of National Agricultural Library (NAL) achievements since 1982 organized into

categories: (1) legislative and administrative, (2) collection building, (3) agricultural information access, (4)

bibliographic services, (5) collection development, (6) information technology, and (7) the Abraham Lincoln

Building. The following discussion features some of the more significant achievements, up to the present time,

taken from these two documents and from a partial list compiled by members of a Panel committee (Appendix F,

a report on user surveys). Finally, the Panel derived some of its conclusions from data supplied in tables attached

as Appendices L-N.

2.1. Legislative and Administrative

The NAL revised its mission, values, and vision statements in 1994 as part of an ongoing strategic planning

process. In parallel, it has, through brochures, tours, exhibits, videotapes, and journal articles, made concerted

efforts to heighten its visibility, and to establish an Advisory Council to assist with long-range planning and

policy formulation. Reorganizations and staffing adjustments were made to streamline services and to better

delineate its overlapping but distinct USDA and national library functions. Finally, diverse funding options have

been initiated through increases in user fees, leasing arrangements, and the use of contractors for certain

activities.

2.2. Collection Building

As resources have allowed, NAL has also worked to develop its collection and resources both to fulfill its

promise as a national library for the nation's entire agricultural community and as a specific resource for USDA’s

specific programs and agencies. This has included the acquisition of significant special collections in a variety of

formats, such as materials on Agent Orange and historical USDA documents and multimedia. In addition, since

the early 1980’s the NAL has coordinated with the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the Library of

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Congress (LC) on collection development policies in the subject area of biotechnology, human nutrition, and

veterinary medicine. The NAL also joined several national cataloging programs and became an authority for

establishing and verifying the names of agricultural organizations.

2.3. International and Networking Initiatives

Another of the 1982 recommendations specified a more active role for the NAL in international information

activities. This led to close involvement with the International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists

(IAALD), the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), and the U.N. Food and

Agriculture Organization (FAO) and its AGRIS database, on matters of coordination and cooperation. NAL also

sponsored and participated in a series of U.S./Central European Agricultural Library Roundtables, and recently

signed an agreement with the Biblioteca Central Magna of the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon, Mexico,

to enhance access to agricultural and related information.

Previous recommendations also focused on the need for a national agricultural information network for resource

sharing, timely processing of information, and equality of access. This resulted in the NAL and representatives

from land-grant university libraries forming the United States Agricultural Information Network (USAIN) in

1988. Through USAIN, the NAL joined with other land-grant libraries in a National Preservation Program for

Agricultural Literature funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The NAL also has

cooperated with the National Association of State University and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC) to advance

support of agriculture libraries. Drawing on these collaborative efforts was the 1995 establishment of another

NAL and land grant university library collaboration, the Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC).

Although not yet fully realized, the AgNIC initiative is a discipline-specific, distributed network on the Internet

envisioned ultimately as a gateway to centers of excellence in agricultural information. It currently offers 28

subject-specific sites on the World Wide Web.

2.4. Information Technology

A significant technology achievement was the National Agricultural Text Digitizing Project (NATDP) that

resulted in the production of a series of widely distributed CD- ROM products for agricultural research

(aquaculture, acid rain, Agent Orange, food irradiation, and the Agronomy Journal). The NAL also has been

active in developing multimedia resources, and has made databases, directories, and other resources available

over the Internet. In addition, the NAL has developed specialized web-based Information Centers which provide

in-depth resources and reference services on such subjects as: alternative farming systems, animal welfare, food

and nutrition, food safety, rural information, technology transfer, water quality.

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3. Reasons for Current Review

The last full review of the NAL took place almost twenty years ago. Therefore, the Panel evaluated the NAL's

performance, not only as an agency library for USDA, but especially with respect to its 1990 statutory mandate as

a national library. Based on user surveys, the panel assessed how well U.S. citizens, whether farmer, researcher or

policy maker, are being provided with the agricultural information they need to make informed decisions, either

through the NAL or other means. We have taken the parameter of "agriculture" to be inclusive of its numerous

and sometimes largely unrecognized related fields. The importance of agriculture as it relates to the world food

supply, the health of the nation's citizens, and its place in the nation's economy are hardly news to USDA, but the

relationship of information to these aspects and NAL's role in providing this information to the country are

unappreciated at many different levels.

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4. Methods of Panel Study

The present Panel made appropriate inquiries of relevant laws, NAL management and staff, other U.S. national

libraries, USDA administrators and NAL's many diverse users through user surveys.

The sources of information the Panel examined were:

1. Statutory status of NAL.

User Surveys made by the Panel -- Librarians, Library Directors, scientists and other USDA personnel,

on-site users, the private sector and NAL staff.

2. 

3. Presentations by NAL managerial staff.

4. Reports of library service activity, accomplishments since 1982, including budget tables.

5. Presentations by Deputy Secretary Rominger and Under Secretary Miley Gonzales.

6. Interviews with NAL managerial staff and ARS Administrator.

7. Interview with Deputy Director National Library of Medicine by Panel members.

8. Panel tour of the NAL building, Beltsville.

9. Review of the NAL Web site.

The Panel agreed on an outline of study (Appendix D) and organized ten task groups of Panel members to

concentrate on each segment. Some of these groups produced individual reports, results of which are incorporated

as observations or findings in various parts of this Report. Selected group reports are also presented in the

Appendices.

4.1. Customer and Staff Survey Methods

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Under the auspices of the U.S. Agricultural Information Network (USAIN) and in support of the Panel’s program

review efforts, a customer service survey was conducted in December 2000 and the first part of January 2001.

This survey was an attempt to touch the pulse of the NAL’s present and future customers to gain input on its

current programs and services and to help in determining future directions. Five questionnaires were developed

and distributed to USDA personnel through a variety of NAL customer listserv and to other related scientists

affiliated with the Council of Scientific Society Presidents (Appendix G). In addition, agriculture and veterinary

science librarians were sent questionnaires through their respective listserves, as were library directors at

land-grant universities. Extension personnel were contacted by way of a Cooperative Extension Service (CES)

Directors listserve and through a CES State Specialist listserve. Questionnaires also were distributed to NAL

on-site users at both the Beltsville and D.C. locations. Finally, NAL staff members were surveyed.

The total number of returned questionnaires was 739, with an additional 53 from NAL staff members. An

analysis of the general survey responses and those of the NAL staff are included in Section 5 (5.4 – 5.9) of this

report.

A detailed report of the survey is attached as Appendix F, including User Survey Sample Comments (Appendix J)

and NAL Staff Survey Results (Appendix K - [Graphic Version - Text Version]).

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5. Findings

"NAL should be refurbished so it once again becomes the world’s preeminent agricultural library. This

entails subscribing to more journals, forging greater cooperation with the land-grant universities, having

more service personnel to serve the nation’s science community, and making greater amounts of

holdings and assets (databases) more friendly to remote access. It appears to be under-funded..."

 -- Survey respondent, 2001

5.1. NAL: A National Library by Law

The NAL, officially made a national library by Congress in 1990 in PL 101-624, in the "Food, Agriculture,

Conservation and Trade Act of 1990" (Appendix E), is to serve as a National Library of the United States and as

the Library of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (7 USCS 3125a 2001). Thus, the Library has a legal mandate

of mission, management policies, administrative accountability, budgetary requirement, and user satisfaction, all

of which contribute to what one may judge as a successful operation or not.

The Panel, therefore, spent considerable time in debating the current role and future direction of the NAL, not the

law which is clear on this matter, but whether evidence over the years since the 1982 review would indicate that

the Library is succeeding in its first mandate to be a national library and whether it is also successful as a Library

of the USDA alone. The Panel is convinced that the NAL has been and is insufficiently supported to achieve its

legal mandate. User response indicates a more satisfactory response to the NAL from USDA personnel. There

are, though, clearly defined and growing weaknesses identified through user surveys, NAL status reports and

Panel site review of facilities. Whether or not the Library "provides leadership in information management" for

the rest of the country is, charitably assessed, in serious doubt. Reasons go partly to funding that is inadequate for

its diverse mandated responsibilities, and to the lack of advocacy groups and actions internal and external to the

USDA. Either management has been ineffective in communicating the Library’s needs to administrative and

funding agencies, or, if well communicated, have not been recognized with realistic appropriations. The records

show that NAL management proposed and justified annual budgets over 50 percent larger than actually received.

The Panel regretfully concludes that budgets actually received were insufficient to achieve the legal mandate.

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5.2. Disparity in National Libraries

The Panel discussed the parallel situation, in time and mandate, existing between the NLM and the NAL: Both

started as special services to a particular agency in government, but were later declared federally funded national

libraries: the NLM in 1956, and NAL in 1962 and again in 1990. Both, with histories into the nineteenth century,

are required to specialize as life sciences libraries with major commitments to human medicine and agriculture,

respectively, both are committed to serving national interests and clientele; both are programmed to be leaders in

information technology for their specializations; and both had similar budgets in 1975-1978.

In 2001 the NLM is an unquestioned world leader in medical information, the hub of a structured regional library

network, and a producer of internationally recognized databases (Medline, PubMed, Entrez, for example), which

are fundamental to science, even with extant competitors from the private sector (such as Excerpta Medica and

specialized genomic databases).

The same cannot be said for the NAL leadership. While the NAL has worked to build the AGRICOLA database

as a resource for agriculture, it has not been able to capitalize on its potential, or to utilize technological advances

to develop the enhanced capabilities desired by its users. Rather, the NAL has chosen to initiate a number of pilot

projects, virtually all of them with inadequate support, and, consequently, with limited achievement of the

anticipated effect. The NAL collection and staff are in a decline in numbers, yet the Library is, unrealistically,

expected to have the same or better reliability as a national resource.

What went wrong? Given the generally lukewarm reception to Library needs by agency budgeteers and

legislative appropriators, why was the NLM, but not the NAL, able to successfully pursue its mandated mission?

Perhaps of greatest influence and impact, the NLM utilizes a very effective Board of Regents. That Board has

helped to develop NLM’s service horizon, providing rigorous long-range planning advice to the Director of the

National Institutes of Health. Past reviewing panels of the NAL all recommended a similar Board of Regents for

the NAL to advise the Secretary of Agriculture on Library matters in a capacity analogous to the NLM Board of

Regents. These recommendations were not enacted for the NAL, either in Congress (1990) or in Agency review

(1995). This Panel once again addresses the need for a Board of Regents later in this report. As the complexity of

the digital information age grows exponentially, it takes a very short time to drop from a world leadership

position to one of becoming obsolete.

The library operations budget for the NLM ($240M) (Appendix H) is now about twelve times the size of NAL’s

current library operations budget ($20M) (Appendix I). During the past decade, NLM’s budget has increased

significantly each year; NAL’s has remained flat (Appendix R, Appendix S, Appendix T, Appendix U). This

budget disparity easily accounts for the dramatic disparity in products and services these libraries are able to

provide.

Through natural evolution of needs and purpose, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) now also supports the

NIH Library in Bethesda, in support of the NIH hospital personnel, while the NLM provides services to the entire

national biomedical community. The NAL, by comparison, remains charged to do both: departmental and

national service, serving other libraries and individuals nationally as well as serving more than 90,000 USDA

employees as a departmental library unit. Both the NLM and the NAL cooperate with other library systems

outside the U.S. to provide training for information scientists and to assist in locating information about U.S.

agriculture or medical practices, although the NAL has had to reduce this involvement for budgetary reasons.

Library services budgets for NLM Div. LO/NIH Library and the NAL are compared in Appendix V.

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5.3. Comparison to ARL Library Budgets

It is nothing less than startling to compare NAL’s operations budget to that of a typical Association of Research

Libraries (ARL) library in the U.S. Comparable figures for 1998 give the average ARL library operations budget

at $15,440,758; the NAL’s budget was $19,208,000. This is especially striking since ARL libraries typically

serve a localized academic community, while NAL is expected to serve the entire country and, as well, produce

an easily accessible database reflecting all of the major U.S. interests in agriculture.

To say the least, the level of support does not match the requirements of the Library’s national mandate. For FY

1992-2000 the net number of pad subscriptions at NAL decreased from 7,108 to 5,123. Based on this history,

NAL projects a decrease of 300 subscription titles per year if there are no increases in materials budget. The

decline affects the value of the collection and the reliability of the indexing of U.S. agriculture that NAL attempts

to be doing for AGRICOLA.

5.4. Summary of NAL Customer Survey Results

Questions in the survey were open-ended, giving respondents the opportunity to describe information-gathering

activities in their own words. Answers were reviewed to identify similar elements that could be categorized and

quantified for analysis.

Overall, the general survey, largely of USDA employees and nationally distributed scientists, reveals a strong

need for new information and a widespread use of electronic services for finding information. In response to the

question of where information is most often obtained, 28 percent identified the World Wide Web, 25 percent

noted either NAL or AGRICOLA, and another 23 percent specified university, agency, or other libraries.

Some users may have gone to the web or other libraries to search AGRICOLA or to use other NAL online

services, while others indicated that they had to go elsewhere because of the gaps now evident in AGRICOLA

and the failure of NAL to serve their needs. In any case, the most used NAL service was identified by 26 percent

as AGRICOLA, closely followed at 24 percent by document delivery; whereas, the most critical service was

considered to be document delivery at 25 percent, and AGRICOLA at 14 percent. However, if all

electronic-related access points were combined with the AGRICOLA percentage (such as NAL web sites,

AgNIC, and CALS) the overall number for electronic access would be greater than any other service, including

document delivery. That is, while AGRICOLA is the most used and visible electronic service, on a regular basis

customers do use other NAL services, from document delivery to the various NAL web sites. This suggests a

need to continue to develop and maintain a variety of delivery systems and customer services if NAL is to meet

the full range of its users’ information needs.

Looking into the future, the survey asked for a description of the types of information services they

would like to have in 2010. In this the respondents were in the most agreement: nearly 75 percent

responded with examples of electronic services such as online journals and journal articles, and

specialized and linked databases with expanded search capabilities. Others mentioned faster services in

general, followed by those who wanted to see broader and deeper development of collections.

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Others mentioned faster services in general, followed by those who wanted to see broader and deeper

development of collections and interlinking of articles.

Similar response results were given to the question about what new or improved NAL service would be desirable.

Greater electronic access to information and resources, particularly online journals and improved databases, was

listed by 65 percent of the respondents, with another 16 percent requesting broad collection development

activities. Responses to the question about what other library or library system is useful to them provides insights

into potential models for future developments. The National Library of Medicine, and particularly PubMed and

Medline, was most often mentioned by respondents as the system to emulate. The following quotes illustrate user

interests (see also Appendix J, User Survey Sample Comments):

Visions of the future: "A fully integrated linkage to every major university library system worldwide so that

resources can be downloaded or sent electronically to where they are needed".... "a perfect information gathering

world would be... to find relevant citations on any topic by searching in one mega-database"... "upgrade

AGRICOLA... [with]...abstracts for more entries, sources of documents clearly indicated, and back it up with a

service that leads the users more reliably to the "indexed information"... "impeccable indexing and online links to

government publications – what more could we ask?" and "finally a prophetic statement for the AgNIC system."

"If NAL wants to provide national agricultural information services by 2010, certainly they need to go to ‘the

people’ to find out what information they are seeking. Then NAL must create or compile content, not just

indexing... I find our users, faculty and students...[and]... the general public, increasingly less willing to wade

through pieces of the puzzle. They want ‘packages:‘ mosquito eradication in wetlands or farm ponds... can NAL

become a provider of information packages related to agriculture instead of ‘just‘ indexing? Can it become a

gateway to information being churned out by its own as well as other agencies?"

5.5. Summary of NAL Staff Survey

The 53 NAL staff members who responded to the survey were employed in public service, information systems

development, or library administration. Not surprisingly, a majority of the respondents considered a

knowledgeable and dedicated staff as a major strength of NAL. This was followed by a nearly even split between

collections and electronic access points, such as AGRICOLA. Weaknesses were largely grouped around

management issues, budget problems, and outdated databases. Critical services were identified as reference

services, access to electronic services (web AGRICOLA, AgNIC, and NAL’s web site), and document delivery.

Suggestions for improvements included a variety of electronic services beginning with both content and web

accessibility enhancements of AGRICOLA, and followed by various types of web site development.

The greatest barrier was seen as budget deficiencies, followed by staff shortages and a lack of strong

leadership. Of particular importance here are staff responses in the area of service development as they

correspond closely with those outlined by respondents to the survey, suggesting a shared vision for

future services.

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Additional comments by NAL staff are in the Staff Survey Results Report in Appendix K- [Graphic Version -

Text Version]).

5.6. Summary of Library Directors Survey Response

Library directors also mirrored many of the responses made by general NAL users and NAL staff

members. They saw the strengths of NAL as primarily its collections, including historical archiving, but

also noted online services, including AGRICOLA and AgNIC. The main weakness was seen as the lack

of adequate funding for its key functions, a similar lack of visibility, poor placement in USDA, and a

location outside the power corridor.

All of the library directors were familiar with or had used the AGRICOLA database. In addition, the NAL web

site was widely known, as was the document delivery service, NAL’s historical collections, AgNIC, and the

online reference service. Similarly, the most important NAL service was identified as either AGRICOLA

specifically or other databases that provide access to all-important agricultural information. This was followed by

those who identified preservation activities and access to hard-to-get materials, and those who listed document

delivery as the most important service.

The majority of library directors who responded to the question asking for suggestions for new and improved

services, focused on greater digital access to information, full- text, document delivery, and AGRICOLA links.

Also, similar to many of the customers surveyed, there was an interest in expanding the subjects covered by the

NAL since newly created areas of knowledge are becoming of increasing importance to participants in

agriculture. This line of thinking was consistent in the responses to the question on how information services

were envisioned for the year 2010. Many offered ideas for providing digital access to all types of information,

particularly full- text materials. Included were suggestions to greatly expand and upgrade AGRICOLA and

AgNIC. Other suggestions were to build the NAL’s coverage in related fields such as the environment, to

improve visibility, and to expand reference services. One revealing quote outlined "a perfect information

gathering world from the client’s perspective: 1) to find relevant citations on any topic by searching in one mega

database; 2) the citation/abstract links directly to the article or book cited; and 3) if the book or article has

interesting references or footnotes, they link directly to the items cited."

5.7. Summary of USAIN AGRICOLA Survey

The U.S. Agricultural Information Network (USAIN) AGRICOLA Interest Group conducted a survey of

AGRICOLA users in February 1999. Most survey respondents rated AGRICOLA generally a very good to

excellent to database.

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Based on the feedback received, the Interest Group suggested NAL provides an extremely important

function by producing AGRICOLA, and wanted to see an even greater commitment of staff and

resources to it.

Areas identified for emphasis in the survey and through AGRICOLA Interest Group discussions were to: (1)

include abstracts in as many records as possible; (2) include indexing for as many book chapters as possible; (3)

index all USDA publications including regional publications which are sometimes missed; (4) facilitate the

inclusion of state experiment station and extension publications; (5) give special consideration to the importance

of timeliness in indexing all materials; and, (6) improve the interface and searching capabilities of the free

internet version of AGRICOLA.

5.8. Analysis of NAL Strengths and Weaknesses as Identified by Survey

 Respondents and Panel Members

The responses to the customer service survey questions regarding NAL strengths and weaknesses were similar to

the impressions gained by Panel members throughout this review process (See also Appendix F).

Major areas of strength include extensive and unique collections, the AGRICOLA database, and dedicated staff

members. Specifically, NAL has the largest collection of agricultural information in the world, numbering more

than 4 million items and including 20,000 journal titles. The AGRICOLA database now includes more than 4

million records and is available free-of-charge via the World Wide Web.

The NAL staff members actively participate in national preservation activities for both print and digital resources,

and have taken the leadership in developing specialized information services such as the various web-based

information centers, and the collaborative AgNIC initiative. In 2000 a technology plan was developed to enhance

information technology and information management directions (Appendix X). Staff members are currently

developing a plan for using state-of-the-art technologies to provide users with what they want when they want it.

However, there also were similarities in responses identifying perceived weaknesses. AGRICOLA was at the top

of both lists due to problems with timeliness, difficulties with the web interface, lack of abstracts, and a need for

broader content coverage. According to both Panel members and users, the NAL has not kept up with new

information technologies or with new directions in scientific research, in terms of both collection development

and electronic access to such information. Further, due to budget stringencies, AGRICOLA has developed serious

gaps in its internal continuity, frustrating frequent users of this database. A lack of awareness of NAL services

and a need for greater publicity in general were mentioned by current NAL customers, while Panel members also

saw a need for greater overall visibility and for more effective collaborations within the research library

community.

Whereas both the NAL users and Panel members agree that the NAL offers valuable services, Panel members

identified more organizational weaknesses (lack of funds, advocacy groups, and collaborative arrangements),

while users understandably focused on weaknesses in products and services (limitations of web accessibility and

content, decreasing journal subscriptions, and collection gaps in rapidly growing fields, such as biotechnology).

Panel members also noted the cancellations of hundreds of journal titles, and the staff cutbacks, in spite of

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increasing demands for greatly expanded services, particularly in the area of electronic access. The lack of

funding for new initiatives, and the general lack of external advocacy, vibrant partnerships, or a visionary plan to

guide the organization into the frontier of knowledge management, appear to have frustrated staff. Although the

NAL has accomplished much since 1982, user needs have increased exponentially and concurrently with

revolutionary improvements in technology; there is a growing gap between what is possible and user groups’

expectancy and the state of NAL programs and services.

5.9. Private Sector Users

A quick survey of NAL use by 107 agribusiness mid-managers (45 percent response) gave a snapshot of NAL

utility in the private sector. From among nine possible answers, no one chose "I use the NAL regularly, at least

once a week," one in ten never heard of the NAL, 19 percent never use the NAL, 29 percent use the NAL less

than once a month, and 27 percent do not use the NAL, but know that people who work with them use the NAL

occasionally.

Go to Section 6

Return to Contents

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Section 7

Return to Contents

6. Discussion Related to Recommendations

6.1. Organizational Structure

6.1.1. Mission Statement

The Panel examined the NAL's mission and vision statements and has made recommendations that reinforce

NAL's role in information technology and as the hub for coordinating agriculture information efforts for the

nation. Specifically, it is recommended that the Library must adopt as its mission something considerably more

concise and precise than those statements put forward in 1982 and 1993. The mission statement must

communicate an explicit and bold purpose that will achieve its mandate as a national library.

Such a mission statement must devolve finally to this intent: To fulfill its Congressional mandate, the NAL

ensures that whenever and by whatever means it is measured, the Library will demonstrate rapidly evolving and

effective processes for quickly gathering and distributing agricultural knowledge.

6.1.2. Vision Statement

Concomitant with a new mission statement is the need for a sweeping vision of the future. We know from recent

experience that we cannot imagine what technology will make possible by the year 2020, but every organization

and business must prepare itself for this future by building a firm foundation for growth and development. It is

imperative for the NAL to be guided by a grand and forward-thinking view of its own destiny. With adequate

support, NAL could indeed become the impressive entity envisioned by one Panel member:

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In 2020, "NAL is a recognized leader in agricultural knowledge management for the past 15

years. It has achieved this status by leading in every important relevant development and in taking

prudent, entrepreneurial risks at every opportunity. Its unique, continuously evolving expert

system has been adopted by and licensed to every national library and most universities in the

U.S. and abroad. It now serves as the hub of major 2-way information networks, including 50

million web sites, 3,000 university libraries, 10,000 company libraries, 150,000 scientific

research labs, every farm in the U.S., and 50 state consumer networks. It is a fully integrated

product of the digital age, with full, same hour voice access (in the 15 most widely used

languages) to any new agricultural knowledge, provided in any form or format, and delivered

24/7 in minutes to its always delighted 100 major customer segments."

6.1.3. Budget Support

This vision of the NAL as a "recognized leader in agricultural knowledge management" is not any different than

is expected in the Library's mandate. The conclusions of the Panel, that there has never been sufficient support to

meet that mandate, is supported by an almost identical mandate for the NLM many years ago, in this case though,

a mandate that was adequately financed. The NLM has been successful, while the NAL has fallen far short. To

realize the potential of the NAL vision and meet the growing demands for agricultural knowledge in the

information age, management must recommend and the Department must implement budgets appropriate to

NAL’s mandate. Since 1982, there have been revolutionary developments in information storage devices,

including networked systems, the rise of the internet and text digitization. Changes in the Library's budget have

not been parallel to what might be expected to maintain currency in this dynamic situation. In spite of the slight

improvements in the Library's budget in the past few years through positive support from the Department's

administration, Congressional appropriations for NAL still remain relatively flat. A ten-year table of NAL budget

requests is included as National Agricultural Library Budget Requests 1990-2001 (Appendix R).

6.1.4. Organizational Placement of NAL within USDA

The Panel recommends that the Secretary of Agriculture realign the organizational position of the National

Agricultural Library so that the Director reports directly to the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture. The

rationale for this change is quite overwhelming. The NAL has a national and department-wide function.

Organizationally, it should be at the same level as other agencies and offices with national mandates and

department-wide functions, reporting to Cabinet level officials. The NAL's status and leadership as a national

library is best served by having the needs of the non-USDA, as well as those of USDA clients, brought directly to

the attention of the Secretary of Agriculture by the Director of the NAL.

The Panel considered the organization placement of the other national libraries. The Director of NLM reports to

the Director of The National Institutes of Health. The Director’s position is in the Senior Executive Service, and

is not a term appointment. As such, the incumbent is not asked to resign during changes of administration, as are

political appointees. However, the Director can be reassigned, like other Senior Executive Service members.

Because of the mission of the NIH, the Director of the NLM always holds a M.D. degree, not a library degree.

Similarly, since computer science or knowledge management expertise has become essential to NAL, any

relevant advanced degree but not necessarily the library degree should be the basic credential for the Director of

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the NAL, and based on the successful model its Director should be in the Senior Executive Service.

6.1.5. Board of Regents

The NAL requires an external advisory group of professional research and information scientists and

representatives of agriculture segments to help plan and prioritize long term planning for its programs, services,

and policies. In the words of the proposed legislative text in 1990, a Board of Regents is necessary "for the

purpose of advising, consulting with and making recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture on matters of

policy in regard to the Library." This Panel strongly advocates prompt implementation and legislative support for

a Board of Regents group, again using the National Library of Medicine and its Board of Regents as a model for

operation.

Progress made by the NLM over its history is impressive, owing in large part to the counsel of its involved Board

of Regents; the Panel recommends long-range planning cycles for the NAL to emulate the planning activity of the

NLM Board. Such a Board was proposed for the NAL in Congressional action in 1990 and 1995, but failed to be

enacted.

6.1.6. Director (See also 6.1.4.)

Given the current situation, the recruitment of a strong and dynamic Director will be essential to the revitalization

of NAL. In the words of the current Director,

"Leading NAL into its future is a challenging job, one that demands vision, drive, commitment to

customers and passion for this national treasure. Successful leadership looks to the future from

the solid foundation of past achievement. Attracting the best to lead NAL... is itself a challenge."

Properly positioned in the administration, advised on planning and visioning by a Board of Regents (6.1.5.) and

with a Friends Group for support in Congress (6.1.7.), the new director will, as well, have to study NAL staff

organization for appropriate mechanisms to ensure open communication at all levels and to respond to staff

contributions for visionary library planning and governance.

6.1.7. Friends Group

The NAL currently lacks a strong constituency to advocate for resources and support. At one time, the NAL had a

"Friends" group that provided support through fostering special public relations programs and other outreach

activities. Such "friends" groups typically grow out of and are organized by library users, but they do not develop

and flourish without direction and encouragement from the library. The NAL’s role must be to encourage

development of such a group and to provide it with a clear understanding of its purpose, namely to provide an

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important means of communicating NAL’s mission and vision to elements outside the Library, especially

including those who influence financial support for the Library.

6.1.8. Development/Gifts

Although the NAL has the authority to accept gifts, it must, as well, have the authority to solicit financial and

non-financial gifts and donations and allocate the resources received without prejudice to its other federal support.

This authority is pivotal for the acquisition of historically significant materials, as well as the funds to support

their preservation.

6.2. Planning Process

6.2.1. 5-Year Reviews

So as to provide the Secretary with an ongoing assessment of NAL performance, a complete external review of

NAL programs and services should be undertaken every five years. The Department might consider contracting

with NCLIS, or a similar organization, to periodically conduct these reviews, and include performance measures

of importance to the proposed NAL Board of Regents.

6.2.2. User Surveys

The NAL must methodically and periodically assess, analyze and adapt to changing customer needs. Under the

auspices of the proposed Board of Regents, regular surveys of customers, prospective customers, and other

stakeholders are needed to appropriately reallocate resources and/or optimize services. USAIN, the Friends of the

NAL, the Board of Regents, the Council of Scientific Society Presidents, a substantial and credible market

analysis company in the private sector, or some other appropriate outside group could be a source and supporter

for such ongoing research, since it might otherwise be encumbered if attempted by traditional federal channels.

6.2.3. Internal Advisory Groups

In its role of internal service to the USDA, the NAL should develop liaison groups within the various agencies to

gain additional input for planning purposes. Two-way communication with the NAL, wherein the NAL would

provide the groups with an orientation to products and services, and the groups would provide evaluative

feedback. The input would be made part of the NAL’s annual documentation on operations and impacts.

6.2.4. Long-Range Plans

Building on the strong statement made by the NAL in their annual strategic and operating plans, and as

mentioned in section 6.2.1. (Appendix O, Appendix P, Appendix Q) the Panel recommends long-range planning

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cycles for the NAL, such as those undertaken by NLM for their Board of Directors. These NLM cycles occur

every five years and include stated goals and objectives, a track record of achievements, and a visioning

document. Long-range plans will guide the Library in resource allocation and program direction, but should also

be flexible enough to allow for mid-course corrections as events and technological developments take place.

Again, the Panel makes reference to the NLM planning process as an example (Appendix W, NLM Long-Range

Planning Process).

The NAL’s operations plans for the last three years and strategic plans for the last five are attached as

Appendices:

NAL Strategic Plan FY 1996-2001 Annual Operating Plan FY 1999 (Appendix O)

NAL Strategic Plan FY 1996-2001 Annual Operating Plan FY 1999 (Appendix P)

NAL Strategic Plan FY 1996-2001 Annual Operating Plan FY 1999 (Appendix Q)

6.2.5. National Digital Library Planning

NAL short-range plans should incorporate an action plan for becoming a highly effective national digital library

for agriculture and its related fields, involving not only a significant technological orientation, but also the types

of collaborations and long-range planning that would be necessary to build and ensure the perpetual currency of

such a system. Included would be an assessment of how NAL might coordinate its own products and services

towards achieving this end, and also a blueprint for how it might work with partners to maximize efficiency and

inputs.

6.2.6. Market Adaptation

The NAL planning must, beyond all else, address and satisfy a wider spectrum of customers’ changing needs for

information, analyses, and knowledge management, even if it is done at the expense of data collection and

retrieval/broadcasting. The future needs of customer groups must be assessed, along with an appreciation of

potential alternatives to satisfy those needs to determine where the NAL niches may be developed or

strengthened. For each customer segment (i.e. ARS, FDA, educational institutions, farmers, etc.), the questions

that need to be answered are: (1) What type of services do they need now? (2) What will they need in the future?

(3) What alternative sources may serve these needs? (4) What are NAL’s strengths in this niche, both present and

possible in the future? and (5) When should NAL act to ensure the widest public access to information that is

widely needed?

The Panel task group assigned to studying long range planning developed more details, including suggested

templates for tracking market segments, attached as Appendix Y, with options that NAL might consider as

alternatives for planning mid- course corrections.

6.2.7. Facility and Space Issues

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The Library offers the following assessment on the capacity for shelving in the Lincoln building:

"Two current projects will ease this situation enough so the collection will be able to ‘fit’ in

the Lincoln Building for the next 10-15 years.... There are additional projects that would

enhance our storage organization and capabilities, however, they require funding that has not

been available."

The worst floors are 6 and 7 because this is where most of the currently received journals are shelved. In many

areas of those floors materials are shelved on "overflow shelving," more commonly known as book trucks.

Several years of the older volumes are pulled off the shelves in order to shelve the currently received issues. This

process is followed throughout the year and then in the summer, if funds are available, mini- shifts are conducted

to free up enough space to reshelve the overflow materials as well as to make room for the next year’s anticipated

volumes.

"Two current projects will ease this situation enough so the collection will be able to ‘fit’ in the Lincoln Building

for the next 10-15 years. The first is the renovation of the 5th floor. This project will re-locate approximately

two-thirds of a floor of Special Collections materials to the 5th floor, freeing up space for General Collections. In

addition, for the last two years the NAL staff have conducted an extensive weeding program to remove excessive

duplicate copies of materials from the General Collection. A survey was also conducted to identify for acquisition

microform versions of print newspapers currently in the NAL collection. As the microform versions are received

the paper copies will be discarded; this will eliminate fragile and deteriorating newsprint from the collection

thereby freeing additional shelf space for collection items. There are additional projects that would enhance our

storage organization and capabilities, however, they require funding that has not been available." NAL

investigated options for off-site storage in the early ‘90’s, but no decisions were made. Budget guidance from the

Department indicated that additional funds would be unlikely to support either building additional capacity in

Beltsville for NAL or procuring off-site storage.

All binding activities were suspended in FY 2000 due to lack of funding and have not resumed. Throughout the

1980's and early 1990’s, binding was routinely suspended due to lack of funds. Binding all current loose issues

would cost approximately $1 million. This figure was based on estimates obtained in planning for the major

collection shift that will accompany the 5th floor renovation project. The Panel observes, simply, that the

suspension of binding jeopardizes conservation efforts and affects availability of shelf space.

6.3. Leadership Issues/Opportunities

The NAL has an important role as the national Library of the U.S. for Agriculture and as a Library for the U.S.

Department of Agriculture. It is intended to be a leader in the field of agriculture information. To do so, the NAL

must focus on its expressed vision that "agriculture information will be more accessible to more people through

technology," and that "the NAL will lead in the information revolution by forging partnerships and exploring new

methods and technologies that advance open and democratic access to information."

The Panel applauds the above vision set out by the NAL in its Vision Statement but sees the NAL as struggling in

its fulfillment due to resource restrictions and competing expectations.

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6.3.1. Challenges, Future Threats

Strategic choices: Leadership in the field of agricultural information requires difficult strategic choices. What

resources will be allocated to the NAL? To online services versus physical texts? Toward preserving historical

treasures versus advancing new knowledge? The Panel believes that priority should be given to both online

service and advancing new knowledge when resource allocation decisions are made.

Resources: The NAL cannot, in its current circumstance, be a leader. The Library management system (software)

is old; facilities or equipment are in need of repair; services have not kept pace. Federal budgets for agency

programs and services (non- entitlement) have been restricted for several years and seem destined to continue to

be restricted.

Staff: The staff is a current strength of NAL, but the recruitment and retention of top- flight staff with budgets

shrinking in real dollar terms will be an increasing challenge.

Visibility: The NAL is likely providing valuable services that are largely invisible to key decision-makers who

affect NAL.

6.3.2. Opportunity: Knowledge Management and Digital Library Initiatives

NAL’s mandated leadership role means focusing on a knowledge management approach to facilitate the value,

growth, and use of new agricultural knowledge. This leadership direction might be best served by turning the

NAL basic paradigm from the biggest and best collection of knowledge into the most rapidly evolving and

effective processes for gathering and distributing agricultural knowledge. In this capacity, NAL should participate

in efforts to create new and more effective digital library systems for bringing agricultural knowledge to

customers, not only through indexing and abstracting services, but as information packages to facilitate learning

and decision- making.

6.3.3. Opportunity: Preservation Initiatives

Research findings, policy statements, consumer guidelines and other important information resources are

increasingly published in electronic formats. These formats provide powerful advantages for customers in

searching, delivery, and reuse of the content. However, these formats are inherently more ephemeral than paper

print format. The content is therefore vulnerable to loss. The Office of the Chief Information Officer is leading a

Departmental Initiative to develop policy and guidelines for the Department governing the long-term preservation

of digital publications. The NAL must continue to take a lead in this initiative and should be given support for its

successful conclusion.

The NAL should also provide strong support to the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation

Program, which is a Library of Congress-led program. This initiative will set national digital preservation

standards. It gives the NAL an opportunity to serve the agricultural community through sponsorship of vital

projects, objectives, and shared policy-making. In addition, the NAL should continue to pursue, and should be

supported in its effort to gain, Affiliated Archive Status with the National Archives and Records Administration.

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6.3.4. Opportunity: Collaborative Relationships

The NAL has a definite and defined set of natural constituents and collaborators/partners in this country's

agricultural (especially land grant university) libraries and it is well known among these constituent groups for

the range of resources and services it offers. Capitalizing on this advantage, NAL should play an aggressive

leadership role for this group. One example: develop a realistic, holistic preservation strategy for the nation's

agriculture literature, including state agricultural documents, extension documents, and the like, in all original

formats.

6.4. Innovations in Information Services

6.4.1. Technology Issues

The advent of the internet has created a challenge for all libraries. A rapidly growing user base, now a clear

majority, prefers online searching as a methodology for both speed and comprehensiveness. Libraries have played

a historically significant role as places where information resources are stored and accessed. The Internet has

changed and will continue to change the way research is conducted and the ways needs for knowledge are, and

can be, fulfilled. Leadership in the Internet field will require new perspectives, ongoing new ideas and

understandings, and a significant commitment of financial and human resources.

NAL developed a comprehensive plan for technology innovation, which was issued as the NAL Technology Plan

2000 (Appendix X). The Panel endorses the plan as one of its Panel recommendations.

The Technology Plan as formulated by the Information Systems Division (ISD) in October 2000 should be

revisited and modified when the additional human and financial resources specified in this report are made

available to the NAL. The ISD should outline the positions and infrastructure requirements necessary to support

an upgraded integrated library system and to accommodate improvements and efficiency in all computer systems,

particularly those supporting AGRICOLA, document delivery, and the various web sites. Only with a solid

foundation of information technology and information management, will the NAL be able to realize its vision for

leading "in the information revolution by forging partnerships and exploring new methods and technologies that

advance open and democratic access to information."

6.4.2. Innovative Technologies Grant Program

NAL should initiate a grants program for encouraging and promoting a national technical infrastructure for

agricultural information and networking. This program would be similar to NLM’s extramural grant programs

that are offered in a number of categories including Resources for Information Management and Research and

Research Resources. These grants are authorized by the Medical Library Assistance Act and are given in areas

such as: information access, information systems, Internet connections, integrated advanced information

management systems, informatics, and digital libraries applications. Grants-in-aid are given to the extramural

community, sometimes as contracts, in support of the goals of the NLM and as seed money to initiate a resource,

service, or program. They provide an opportunity to develop the linkages between the NLM and its regional

libraries and, at the same time, to greatly expand all of their capabilities through innovative projects.

Because this is a successful model, the Panel strongly endorses a grants program for the NAL as a mechanism for

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building on and formalizing the NAL’s ties to the now loosely knit network of developers of new innovations and

the agricultural libraries within the land-grant system, including the full-range of USAIN institutions. NAL

should help develop collaborations for the advancement of information technologies to disseminate agricultural

information and knowledge.

6.4.3. AGRICOLA

AGRICOLA, the primary index to U.S. scientific literature for agriculture and allied fields, has served as a

leading solution for agriculture researchers for many years.

However, more recently AGRICOLA is not delivering up to expectation in some users’ eyes because

shrinking budgets have created gaps that compromise its value.

To correct this situation, NAL management should conduct, preferably on advice of the proposed Board of

Regents, a timely review of AGRICOLA to align its content with its significance to the nation’s agricultural

information needs. This will include action plans and estimated costs for upgrade of content, and the addition of

online linkages to full text wherever possible with priorities defined by the user communities to USDA and state

agricultural extension publications. Until a Board of Regents is implemented, the Panel recommends that the

Library appoint an expert Strategic Planning Task Force for direction and budget recommendations.

6.4.4. Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC)

The Library has participated collaboratively with many research libraries on various information projects over the

years since the last review. These projects are largely, but not entirely, successful by virtue of altruism on the part

of participating individuals and libraries. For example, the NAL provided seed money for establishment of the

Agriculture Network Information Center (AGNIC), but the network is maintained through volunteer efforts of

participating institutions and individuals. This distributed network, which could be the foundation for a national

digital library, already has achieved a certain level of success in bringing agricultural information to the public

from a broad base of institutions and experts. In the future, it could provide customers with much more

wide-ranging knowledge-based learning resources and with information and data that has previously been

unavailable. However, to achieve this potential, the Network requires extensive technical expertise and

infrastructure, as well as broader topical orientations. The NAL should be provided with the basic human and

technical resources to create the necessary backbone for AgNIC’s system requirements and for general content

development. Enhancements and special applications, such as interactive learning modules, and those using

remote sensing and geographic information systems, could be funded through the proposed information

technologies grant program, and NAL should provide a regularly updated, user- friendly, online learning module

to teach new users how to use and gain most benefit from NAL.

6.4.5. Information Centers

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Increasingly, customers want more than bibliographic references and annotations; they want packages of

information that directly answer questions they might have and that are available on a 24/7 basis. Similar to

AgNIC, NAL’s Information Centers are an excellent beginning for providing this kind of value-added service.

However, the topics covered in both AgNIC and the Information Centers need to be expanded to cover the full

breadth of agricultural information interests. An example is the NLM's development of the MEDLINEplus, a

web-based health information resource for the general public. This service, which started out covering 22 topics,

now provides full- text documents, pre-formulated MEDLINE searches, and links to high-quality related web

sites on 225 health matters of particular interest to U.S. citizens. The AgNIC alliance web sites and the NAL

Information Centers could form the basis for a similar service for agriculture. Consideration in the long-range

planning process should focus on how to structure these services into a more cohesive and identifiable service

with a single user interface to facilitate a "one-stop shopping" concept.

6.4.6. Document Delivery

Document delivery in paper and electronic form are important NAL services. The NAL responds to 150,000

requests annually for documents in its collection, to USDA employees and other public and private sector parties.

High quality digitization, electronic transmission, intellectual property-right considerations, and questions of

permanent archiving complicate the planning and budgeting for the future. It is clear that most users in the survey

anticipate a growing reliance on electronic transmission of text as the preferred access route. The NAL will need

to develop more timely and extensive electronic document delivery systems to meet future customer needs.

Go to Section 7

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

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7. Recommendations of the Panel

The results of the customer surveys and the Panel’s analysis make a strong case for the continuation of NAL not

only as a library service for USDA personnel, but as the centerpiece of a dynamic national agricultural

information system as a national library that also serves as a library service for USDA personnel. This system

would draw on innovative technologies to directly link users to the most useful and appropriate quality content

(abstracts, full-text, data, and information packages) in all areas related to the sustainable management of natural

resources in the support of agricultural production. Included would be a complementary mix of services including

a greatly enhanced AGRICOLA database, a series of comprehensive and topical web sites, 24/7 document

delivery, and all interconnected through a powerful search interface providing users with the closest

approximation possible to a “one-stop-shopping” reality. Responses from NAL staff members demonstrate they

understand these customer needs and have the same interest in providing the high-quality services necessary to

meet those needs. What are lacking are the human and other necessary commitments by USDA, to do so.

Fulfilling its Congressionally mandated mission, the NAL should move as quickly as possible to attain and

maintain leadership position in obtaining, managing and distributing new and previously available agricultural

knowledge and exploiting the tools of the electronic digital age to meet demands of customers located anywhere

and in need of information anytime.

Thus, the Panel strongly recommends and unanimously endorses the following changes and improvements to our

National Agricultural Library system:

Innovations in Information Services

Provide rapid, accurate, comprehensive access to the full range of agricultural information resources

through a variety of the most cost-effective delivery systems, but with particular emphasis on

ensuring leadership in applications of advanced digital technologies, and based on user-identified

needs.

a. 

Establish a national grant program on the NLM model, to be administered by NAL, for the initiation

of innovative and collaborative digital projects in agricultural information systems.

b. 

Update and enhance the AGRICOLA database to a level equivalent with the NLM's Medline and

PubMed services, particularly through improvements of the Web version, extent of coverage, and

c. 

I. 

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linkages to full-text and summaries. Related to this, complete the retrospective conversion of the

NAL catalogue to digital form for inclusion in the ISIS online catalogue.

Further develop the Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC) Alliance and Program as a

portal to agricultural information, data, and resources, and as the foundation for a national digital

library for agriculture.

d. 

Continue to build the NAL Information Centers as subject gateways to key topics of particular

interest to citizens, policy makers, and scientists, based on frequent user surveys and knowledge

explosion.

e. 

Identify and initiate cost-effective improvements and expansion of the current document delivery

service.

f. 

Update and implement the Technology Plan of 2002 with modifications as needed to accommodate

recent and emerging advances in technology.

g. 

Organizational Structure

The NAL should change its self-concept from being a place to that of performing customer-driven

functions, and its national role from being the place where every item is, into the role of being the

hub through which every item can be obtained online anytime.

a. 

Update and reaffirm the NAL mission and vision statements to reflect its mandate as a national

library and its commitment to the use of technology to meet the information needs of the U.S.

citizenry. Formulation of these statements is the responsibility of the NAL Director and the proposed

Board of Regents.

b. 

Provide 30 percent increases in funding each year from now until the next 5-year review when

programs and services will be formally reassessed and evaluated for successful initiation of new

directions. The Panel believes the annual NAL budget should eventually reach approximately $100

million (2001 dollars) to meet its Congressionally mandated mission in the digital age. This will

provide sufficient resources to develop superior expert system search tools, to hire and retain the

infotech talent it needs, to fill the growing gaps in its coverage of new knowledge in research

journals and historical documents, and to ensure its security in view of the new security hazards it

will face. It will enable the NAL to provide services and levels of service required of a National

Library in the 21st century.

c. 

d. Increase the number of positions by 50 or more during the next 5- year review period.

Realign the NAL within USDA to reflect its national mission. To reflect this mission, the NAL

should report directly to the Secretary/Deputy Secretary of Agriculture.

e. 

Organize a Board of Regents, on the NLM model, to direct on long- range planning, advocate for the

NAL within USDA and elsewhere, guide the development of new products and services, and

monitor for quality in all services. A Strategic Planning Task Force should be appointed and serve

until a Board of Regents is implemented.

f. 

II. 

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Develop a NAL Friends Support group to assist the Board of Regents and other groups in promoting

NAL programs and services.

g. 

Establish the position of the Director of the NAL in the Senior Executive Service, with a four or

more year term, and renewed based on performance; library degree is preferred but not required.

(The strength of interest on the panel on this issue is represented by its range of opinions, ranging

from one emphasizing an exclusive political appointment to opinions that were open to either/or:

political appointment or inclusion in the Senior Executive Service, to opinions advocating inclusion

exclusively in the Senior Executive Services.)

h. 

Authorize the NAL to solicit and accept donations, with those funds exclusively designated for use

by the NAL.

i. 

j. Establish a Development Officer to enhance liaison with private foundations and individual donors.

Planning and Evaluation Processes

Introduce a formal five-year review by external reviewers, including USDA personnel, to ensure

progress on long-range plans and customer service orientation, with a 100 percent turnover of the

membership of that review group every 4-5 years.

a. 

Implement a system to obtain ongoing input from all categories of customers (web, in-person, mail,

telephone), and summarize the information in an annual report. These reports should include actions

taken in response to customer input and should be available to the public through the NAL website.

b. 

Establish internal advisory groups from USDA agencies to provide feedback to NAL about its

products, services, and long-range plans.

c. 

Results from the five-year reviews and all other feedback data should guide the long-range planning

process. Long-range plans should be developed for a five-year period, with annual updates by the

Director and the proposed Board of Regents to ensure continued viability.

d. 

Complete and implement a plan for a national digital library for agriculture (NDLA) that will be the

main focus and long-term organizing principle for NAL and the national network of university and

industrial libraries.

e. 

Establish liaisons within NAL who will act as market managers to track specified NAL customer

segments for their needs and user satisfaction.

f. 

Develop a plan for facilities management and improvements, including space requirements, as an

integral part of the long-range planning process.

g. 

III. 

Leadership

a. Provide leadership for and become the central hub of the world’s agriculture libraries to facilitate

IV. 

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users’ access and use of agricultural information on a perpetual basis using a knowledge

management approach.

Continue to develop the NAL role in the preservation of digital publications-and-data initiative of the

USDA and in the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program.

b. 

Continue to take a leadership role in the development of national digital efforts to bring the wealth of

agriculture-related information and knowledge to U.S. citizens by using the most advanced

technologies and by developing the most advanced and easily used expert online search system

available.

c. 

Enhance contractual collaborative relationships with other governmental agencies and

non-governmental units to meet the NAL’s mission for collaborative collection development,

preservation, and archival functions.

d. 

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

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8. Implementing Recommendations

The Panel is forwarding the executive summary of this report and the full report with appendices to Ann

Veneman, Secretary of Agriculture and to Joseph Jen, Under Secretary of Research, Education, and Economics.

If the Secretary should decide that outside review of this report might serve her purposes, the following experts

are offered for her consideration:

● Bob Dole, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader

● Bob Foster, former Congressional staff member.

● Eugene Garfield, Chair Emeritus, Institute for Scientific Information

● Suzanne Harris, Director, Human Nutrition Institute International Life Sciences Institute

Richard Lucier, University Librarian, Dartmouth, and former University Librarian, California Digital

Library (University of California)

● 

● Clifford Lynch, Director, Coalition for Networked Information

● Anton Mangstl, Chief, Library and Systems Division, FAO, Rome

● Susan Nutter, North Carolina State University, Vice Provost and Library Director

● Jan Olson, retired Head of Mann Library, Cornell University

● Julia Peterson, retired CIO, Cargill

● Richard Rominger, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture

Jane Voichech Journal of Nutrition Education, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of

Wisconsin-Madison

● 

● Clayton Yeutter, 1990 U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

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9. Members of the Panel:

Panel Members:

Dr. Larry N. Vanderhoef, Panel Chair, Chancellor, University of California, Davis

Dr. Martin A. Apple, President, Council of Scientific Society Presidents

Dr.. K. Jane Coulter, Deputy Administrator, USDA

Dr. William B. Delauder, President, Delaware State University

Mr. Jay Hirschman, Director, Special Nutrition Staff, USDA

Dr. Austin Hoover, Library Archivist, New Mexico State University

Dr. Philip Hudson (deceased), Director, USDA Graduate School

Ms. Barbara Hutchinson, Director, Arid Lands Information Center, University of Arizona

Ms. Paula Kaufman, University Librarian, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Mrs. Margrit B. Krewson, Society for German-American Studies

Pearlie S. Reed, Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA

Mr. Winston Tabb, Associate Librarian, Library of Congress

Mr. Robert Willard, Executive Director, National Commission on Libraries and Information Science

Consultants:

Dr. William Gray Potter, University Librarian, University of Georgia

Dr. Sarah E. Thomas, University Librarian, Cornell University

Staff:

Vincent P. Caccese, Instruction Librarian, University of California, Davis

Dr. Douglas Helms, Senior Historian, Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA

Dr. Susan McCarthy, Technical Information Specialist, National Agricultural Library

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

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10. List of Appendices

A. Charge

B. National Agricultural Library (1982 Recommendations–Status) March 5, 2001

C. Milestones 1982 – 2000 National Agricultural Library, March 1, 2001

D. NAL Review and Planning Agenda

PL 101-624 in the "Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990" (sections relevant to NAL

statutory status)

E. 

F. Report by B & C subcommittee, in full

G. User Survey questionnaires

H. Library Operations: NLM and NIH Budget Analysis

I. NAL, NLM and LC Budget Increases 1990-2001; 1991-2001

J. User Survey Sample comments

K. NAL Staff Survey Results - Slide Version - Text Version

L. Technical Services Division Performance Indicators FY97-FY00

M. NAL Materials Acquisitions 1992-2000

N. Collection Size by Subject, 1993 and 1997

O. NAL Strategic Plan FY 1996-2001 Annual Operating Plan FY1999

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P. NAL Strategic Plan FY 1996-2001 Annual Operating Plan FY2000

Q. NAL Strategic Plan FY 1996-2001 Annual Operating Plan FY2001

R. National Agricultural Library Budget Requests 1990-2001

S. Chart 1, Percentage Change in the Budget for NLM's Division of Library Operations

T. Chart 2, Division of Library Operations (LO) Budget as a Percentage of the Total NLM Budget

U. Chart 3, NLM, Division of Library Operations (LO) and NAL Budget Comparison

V. Library Services (NLM Div. LO)/NIH Library/NAL (table)

W. NLM Long-Range Planning Process

X. NAL Technology Plan 2000

Y. Report of Panel subcommittee to study long range planning

"Interagency Panel Survey Briefing Book October 25–27, 2000" – does not accompany this Report.

August 2001

Go to Appendix A

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix B

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Appendix A

Interagency Panel for Assessment of

the National Agricultural Library

CHARGE

An Interagency Panel for Assessment of the National Agricultural Library (NAL) is hereby established. The

Panel is to review the activities of the National Agricultural Library in pursuit of its mandate to serve as the chief

agricultural information resource of the United States and to make recommendations to the Under Secretary,

Research, Education, and Economics on NAL's management, staff, programs and operations.

The NAL serves as a national library, one of the four U.S. national libraries, the library of the United States

Department of Agriculture, and as a leader in international agricultural library and information resources, under

very different operational policies and programs.

The panel is being asked to complete its work within twelve months with the issuance of a final report. The Panel

may not be extended beyond one year without special review and approval by the Deputy Secretary.

August 2000

Go to Appendix B

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix C

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Appendix B

The National Agricultural Library

U.S. Department of Agriculture

1982 RECOMMENDATIONS STATUS

1) Public Awareness of NAL:

NAL should develop mechanisms to survey users needs

continually and to establish priorities for services which

would satisfy the most pressing needs.

NAL carried out a customer satisfaction survey in 1995

(A copy is in the briefing book). NAL surveys customers

semiannually on turnaround times.

NAL has firmly established its web presence, offering

value-added products as well as routine information such

as library hours, a directory of services, and staff

directories via the librarys web site

(http://www.nal.usda.gov). Prime examples are the

AGRICOLA database and topic-specific resources made

available through NALs specialized information

centers.

NAL must become more aggressive in making its

collections and services known, both to its end users in

the Department and to the cooperators and future

participants in the network. Listings in the services

section of the USDA telephone directory; a special page

in the directory listing libraries with hours of service and

telephone numbers; an orientation or handout for new

Departmental employees; special information events;

and additional participation in USDA programs are but a

few examples of how this public awareness campaign

might be carried out.

The NAL has produced and distributed an array of

brochures and public affairs materials to make its

collections, programs, and services known.

The NAL also maintains an active schedule of tours,

exhibits, and educational programs targeted to current

and potential new audiences.

In addition, the NAL is known through its significant

World Wide Web presence. The USDA home page does

not link to the National Agricultural Library.

The NAL is barely listed in the USDA and other

telephone directories.

The NAL participates in new employee orientation for

the Agricultural Research Service.

In 2001, the NAL is carrying out a program to inform

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USDA headquarters employees of NAL programs and

services.

Films, video-tapes, and articles in agriculturally-related

scientific and technical journals (especially publications

of scientific societies) and the general press should serve

to make NAL known as a national resource of

agricultural information.

NAL has produced several videotapes, CD-ROMs, and

articles in agriculturally related scientific and technical

journals to publicize NAL collections, programs, and

services.

2) Mission:

Adoption by NAL of the mission statement in the

Executive Summary and on page 7 of the Findings and

Analysis section of this report.

The National Agricultural Library (NAL) serves as the

Nations chief agricultural information resource. It

provides agricultural information, products, and services

to agencies of the USDA and to public and private

organizations and individuals. The NAL coordinates a

national network of public and private agricultural

libraries and information centers, especially with

libraries of the land-grant colleges and universities, and

other state supported colleges and universities with

agriculturally related programs, other public

organizations, and industry and other private sector

organizations.

The NAL ensures the acquisition, organization

(including cataloging and indexing), management,

preservation, accessibility, and diffusion of information

in all phases of the agricultural and applied sciences, as

set forth in Title XIV of the Food and Agriculture Acts

of 1977 and 1981. A significant part of this mission is

the development and coordination of a national

agricultural science information network. The NAL

provides leadership for the management of agricultural

information resources through products and services,

including bibliographies, loans, photocopies,

microforms, structured agricultural thesaurus,

computerized data base repositories, indexing of

agricultural information, and personal reference and

research services including on-line computerized

literature searches. NAL works closely with other

agencies in the Department, coordinates closely with the

National Library of Medicine (NLM) and Library of

Congress (LC), and cooperates with other groups in both

the public and private sectors, to ensure that the results

of research and other types of agricultural information

are rapidly disseminated to the ultimate user. NAL

promotes the use of modern technology in support of

library and information activities.

In November 1990, Public Law 101624NOV. 28, 1990

the "Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of

1990" officially established the National Agricultural

Library "to serve as the primary agricultural information

resource of the United States."

The NAL initiated a new strategic planning process In

1993. In the first phase of this process NAL conducted

environmental scans and restated its mission:

The National Agricultural Library ensures and enhances

access to agricultural information for a better quality of

life. The National Agricultural Library:

· Serves as a National Library of the United States and as

the Library of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

· Acquires, organizes, manages, preserves, and provides

access to information and provides quality stewardship

of its unique collection.

· Assists, trains, and educates people based on

assessment of their information needs.

· Provides leadership in information management.

· Maximizes access to information through collaborative

efforts and utilization of technology.

· Enhances global cooperation through international

exchange of information and the provision of services

and technical assistance.

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The NAL provides leadership for U.S. participation in

international agricultural library and information

systems and in efforts to promote worldwide availability

of agricultural information. In addition, the NAL serves

as the Nations major source of agricultural information

received from and relayed to other countries, as the

agricultural information liaison to international

organizations and organizations outside of the United

States, and as the U.S. agricultural representative in the

setting of library and information standards

internationally.

3) Departmental Placement:

General policy direction and guidance come from the

Office of the Secretary on the advice of the Advisory

Council with operational and administrative supervision

delegated to an operating arm of the Department.

However, the Panel strongly recommends against

locating NAL under the Administrative Management

arm (Assistant Secretary for Administration).

In 1982, the NAL had been newly reestablished as a

separate agency within USDAs science and education

structure. On the Panels recommendation, the Library

quickly hired administrative and budget officers,

transferred financial management and building

management back to NAL, and took other steps to

become administratively self-sufficient. As part of a

December 1994 USDA reorganization which reduced

the number of separate USDA agencies from 43 to 28,

the NAL was merged into the USDA Agricultural

Research Service, which provides policy direction and

guidance, and operational and administrative

supervision.

4) Advisory Council:

The establishment of the National Agricultural Library

Advisory Council appointed by and reporting to the

Secretary; that the Department prepare draft legislation

to establish the Advisory Council.

1990 efforts to get language into the Farm Bill

establishing an Advisory Council failed at the last

minute.

In 1995, the NAL developed for USDA a 1995 Farm

Bill proposal to create an advisory council. USDA did

not send the proposal to the Congress.

That this Advisory Council advise the Secretary on

general matters of library and technical information

policy; that it conduct ongoing evaluations of NALs

programs and services, and prepare an annual report

with recommendations, to the Secretary.

This element was incorporated into the 1990 and 1995

proposals.

That the Council should consist of 10 members

appointed by the Secretary for a term of four years each

with staggered terms for continuity, and additional ex

officio members as indicated below.

This element was incorporated into the 1990 and 1995

proposals.

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That membership on the Council be equally

representative of the library and information science

communities, agricultural industry, and

agriculturally-related associations and academia. One

member should represent international concerns (e.g.,

AIDs Agricultural Science).

This element was incorporated into the 1990 and 1995

proposals.

That in addition to the 10 members, users of NAL be

represented by ex officio members including at least two

Administrators of USDA agencies, rotating every year

and representing the social sciences, biological and

physical, research areas, and Extension and action

program agencies. Additional ex officio members should

include: the President of an agriculture and allied

science professional or association; b.the President of

the National Academy of Science; c.a representative of

the land-grant universities designated by Division of

agriculture, NASULGC; d.a representative of non-land

grant universities designated by Association of

University Administrators of Agricultural Programs; and

e.the Librarian of Congress. Ex officio members serve

with voice, but no vote.

This element was incorporated into the 1990 and 1995

proposals.

The Council members shall elect the chairman and

vice-chairman; the Council shall meet at least once a

year or at the call of the Chairman.

This element was incorporated into the 1990 and 1995

proposals.

5) Internal Organization and Staffing:

Consider reorganization which would separate library

functions to support USDA from true national library

functions. Major elements of the reorganization should

include organizational units such as technical services,

reading and reference services, bibliographic services,

and specialized information services. Departmental

services should be coordinated by a small staff in the

specialized information service division, which derives

its services and products from the national library.

The NAL reorganized between 1983 and 1984, based on

proposals from Blue Ribbon Panel 1982. The

Information Systems Division reorganized into two

branches, in 1986. The Technical Services Division

reorganized into three branches, in December 1986. The

Public Services Division reorganized into three

branches, in February 1987, and reorganized into two

branches in August 1998.

NAL should contract with a highly qualified outside

consultant specializing in management analysis to

review and make recommendations regarding the

workflow within the Library. However, the NAL

management should also recognize that, should it

undertake to implement in full or in part the

recommendations presented in this report, there would

be an impact on workflow which might alleviate, and in

some cases eliminate, the current problem which results

primarily from strong internal disagreements.

Upon becoming NAL Director in 1983, Joe Howard

recruited a new management team and reorganized the

NAL. This solved the workflow problem within the

Library.

Appendix B

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Increase staffing, with redirections when possible, by 50

positions capable of improving technical, bibliographic,

specialized information services, and network

development and coordination. This increase should

occur over a two year period.

Emphasize selection of staff competent to perform in a

networking and high technology environment. High

levels of professional and technical knowledge and skills

are necessary if NAL is to participate fully in

cooperative programs at national and international

levels.

All employees at the NAL use computers in their daily

work. Consequently, computer literacy is a key element

in hiring professional and support staff in NAL. With

increased use of electronic information, NAL has

recruited, trained, and retained staff with high levels of

professional and technical knowledge of information

technology and its applications to the work of the

National Agricultural Library.

Areas, such as translations, which require extensive

resources with uneven demands, should be considered

for contracting. NAL has made extensive use of

contracts and private sector capabilities and this should

continue.

NAL, using PL480 funds, established and maintained

contracts with two companies to provide translations of

foreign language materials. As this funding source was

depleted, NAL directed USDA employees to private

companies providing translations services. NAL does

not endorse any company but does provide a list of

potential vendors via the NAL Web site.

Increase ratio internally, of non-professional to

professional staff, dependent on level of use of contracts

in support of various functional areas.

Appendix B

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The Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC)

should be moved back into NAL, under a specialized

information services division.

The Food and Nutrition Information Center was

re-incorporated into the Public Services Division of

NAL in November 1984. It is currently in the

Information Resources Services Branch with the other

NAL information centers.

6) Budget and Funding:

Increase budget by approximately $3 million over a two

year period; this funding to be used to upgrade NALs

basic services and activities such as acquisitions,

technical processing, improved library and information

services, including interlibrary loans and computer based

services, to their former level.

Provide additional resources for the development of a

network to support regional and local information

services and specialized centers of subject matter

information at land-grant colleges and large agricultural

stations; and to raise use of technology to an acceptable

level in support of the network and internal operations.

The NAL and representatives of land-grant university

libraries formed the United States Agriculture Network

(USAIN) in July of 1988. This network is comprised of

libraries and information centers in the fields of

agriculture and related sciences. Its mission is to provide

a forum for discussion of agricultural issues; to take a

leadership role in the formation of a national information

policy as related to agriculture; to support the National

Agricultural Library (NAL) on agricultural information

matters; to promote cooperation and communication

among its members, and with other organizations and

individuals.

Under NAL leadership AgNIC was established in 1994

by an alliance of agricultural organizations as a

discipline-specific, distributed network on the Internet.

In 1995, NAL established the AgNIC Web site with a

calendar of events and a database of agriculture

resources. In 2000, AgNIC is a partnership of nearly 40

agricultural information organizations operating a

network of 28 subject-specific sites, with over 20

additional subject sites expected by the end of 2001.

Appendix B

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NAL should increase its user fees for interlibrary loans

and photocopies by at least $2.00 per item. This should

be done stepwise while service and quality level is being

upgraded. (Current charges are $3.00 for the first 10

pages and $2.00 for each additional 10 pages.)

Effective April 1, 2000 NAL increased the user fees for

interlibrary loans, including photocopies, microfiche and

microfilm. In addition, NAL imposed a new user fee for

borrowing original materials and for obtaining

reproductive services from Special Collections. The fee

charged by the National Technical Information Center to

perform the collection of funds generated by billing is

also passed on to the customer for the 1st time. This new

fee structure makes it cost effective to bill for service

and brings NAL into line with the fees charged by the

other major research libraries in the country.

NAL should increase the sale and lease charges for its

data tapes. These increases should be implemented

gradually over time, as the quality of indexing in

AGRICOLA and the system which supports it is being

improved. NAL should permit NTIS to make decisions

regarding prices for NAL products provided through

NTIS. Current year subscription is presently $720.00;

back files from 1979 to date are $480.00.

NAL and NTIS have worked collaboratively to keep

pace with the technology and to gradually increase the

lease price of AGRICOLA to its present $3,000.

User fees for on-line data base searching should be

increased, as well as "per hit" charges. Current fees are

$2.00 per connect hour for domestic users; $3.00 per

connect hour for foreign users.

Usage fees were changed from a connect-hour basis to a

citations-retrieved basis.

Current Awareness Profile charges should be introduced

and a charge instituted for citations "hits". Internally to

USDA, Agencies should continue to contribute a block

of funds to NAL to cover the cost of providing CALS

services to their staff.

CALS is now offered only to USDA agencies, which

reimburse NAL annually for costs incurred by their staff.

The method of providing this current awareness service

has also changed several times since 1982 to make use

of new technologies and resources.

NAL should continue its practice of involving the

contractors and private sector organizations in carrying

out its responsibilities of making information available

to the public. Particularly appropriate for review are

indexing and processing, and translations.

NAL has had a document delivery contract in place

since 1971. About every 5 years increasingly complex

tasks have been added to the contract. As Federal

staffing levels have decreased, many of the tasks

previously performed by Federal employees were added

to the contract. In FY 1999 a contract was awarded to an

8A company to provide staffing to NAL for specific

kinds of work including librarians, technicians,

computer assistance etc. This contract has been very

successful and allows NAL to quickly acquire staffing to

complete specialized projects within the time frames

required and funding allocated.

NAL should sell its specialized bibliographies and other

publications, either through NTIS or directly. Charges

should be consistent with those in USDA policies, and

should apply to all NAL publications.

NAL routinely makes its information products freely

available through the web. Resources which are

substantial and justify alternative means of distribution

are made available through NTIS (such as CD-ROMs

and AGRICOLA database).

Appendix B

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NAL should work with the Office of the General

Counsel and the Departmental Budget staff to establish

the necessary procedures and controls to permit use of

user fees to offset the costs of carrying out programs and

services, and to permit use of gifts to support special

projects and collections.

In November 1990, Public Law 101624NOV. 28, 1990,

the "Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of

1990" officially established the National Agricultural

Library "and amended Title 7 of the U.S. Code to:

· authorize the NAL Director to sell Library products

and services "at such prices (not less than the estimated

total cost of disseminating the products and services) as

the Secretary may determine appropriate."

· authorize the Secretary of Agriculture "to accept,

receive, hold, and administer" ... "gifts, bequests, or

devises of real and personal property made

unconditionally for the benefit of the National

Agricultural Library or for the carrying out of any of its

functions."

7) Policies:

The Panel recommends that NAL update its present

mission and policy statements.

The NAL restated its mission in 1993:

The National Agricultural Library ensures and enhances

access to agricultural information for a better quality of

life. The National Agricultural Library:

· Serves as a National Library of the United States and as

the Library of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

· Acquires, organizes, manages, preserves, and provides

access to information and provides quality stewardship

of its unique collection.

· Assists, trains, and educates people based on

assessment of their information needs.

· Provides leadership in information management.

· Maximizes access to information through collaborative

efforts and utilization of technology.

· Enhances global cooperation through international

exchange of information and the provision of services

and technical assistance.

NAL was merged into USDAs Agricultural Research

Service in December 1994, and has since followed ARS

policies and procedures, which are updated often.

Appendix B

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Policy statements not presently in place (e.g., national

programs) should be prepared and discussed with the

NAL staff and users. NAL managers should see that

policies are implemented at all levels of the

organization.

The Library has done this continually since 1983.

Policies related to participation in international

agricultural information activities such as AGRIS should

be developed and followed, consistent with international

activities of other U.S. libraries, especially the Library of

Congress and National Library of Medicine.

The NAL contributes approximately 50,000 new

citations to the AGRIS database each year AGRIS is the

international information system for agricultural science

and technology, coordinated by the U.N. Food and

Agricultural Organization. NAL serves also as the U.S.

node of the Agricultural Libraries Network

(AGLINET), another program coordinated by FAO,

through which member libraries provide each other with

priority interlibrary loan and photo reproduction

services, usually without charge, and share bibliographic

products to enhance location and referral services. NAL

is also part of several international initiatives closely

related to broader U.S. Department of Agriculture

programs, including programs in Central and Eastern

Europe and in Latin America and the Caribbean, and

establishment of the Egyptian National Agricultural

Library. NAL also offers in-service study and training in

library management and technology in cooperation with

the U.S. Agency for International Development

(USAID), the USDA's Office of International

Cooperation and Development, and other organizations.

NAL has hosted individuals and study-groups from

virtually every continent.

Policies governing cooperation with other libraries and

agricultural organizations must be developed and

implemented.

In 1991 NAL joined the Library of Congress, the

National Library of Medicine and major U.S. academic

research libraries in the National Cooperative Cataloging

Program, later the Program for Cooperative Cataloging

(PCC). NAL has been an active participant in all the

PCC programs and provided the chair for the PCC

policy committee 1997-2000.

NAL has adopted national cataloging policies and

standards, including the Anglo-American Cataloguing

Rules, Library of Congress Subject Headings and the

MARC formats for bibliographic, authority and holdings

data.

NAL participated in the development of joint collecting

statements with the National Library of Medicine and

the Library of Congress in the areas of food and human

nutrition, biotechnology and veterinary science. These

joint statements, which describe the coverage of the

national collections, are intended to reduce redundant

collecting. The statements also describe the lending

policies of each of the national libraries.

Appendix B

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Policies governing the development and use of an

agricultural information network are essential to its

success and must be developed and implemented.

The National Agricultural Library and representatives of

land-grant university libraries formed the United States

Agriculture Network (USAIN) in July 1988. This

network is comprised of libraries and information

centers in the fields of agriculture and related sciences.

Its mission is to provide a forum for discussion of

agricultural issues; to take a leadership role in the

formation of a national information policy as related to

agriculture; to support the NAL on agricultural

information matters; to promote cooperation and

communication among its members and with other

organizations and individuals.

Policies on the handling of requests should be required

to permit handling of more requests in an expeditious

manner (e.g., limit the time spent in locating items not

identifiable or readily available; permit use of OCLC for

ILLs).

NAL has implemented a variety of policy changes which

have reduced the handling of document delivery and

interlibrary loan requests. Most requests are processed in

2 days. About 88% of requests are received

electronically. Use of the Internet vastly expands the

universe of resources available to identify those items

which are considered to be "gray literature". NAL has

agreements and contracts in place with vendors who

provide document delivery services on those items

which are outside of NALs scope or missing from the

collection.

Collecting policies should be updated to incorporate

many of the recommendations below.

The Collection Development Policy was completely

revised in 1988. It is continuously updated by addenda,

the latest one issued in 2000.

8) Collection and Processing:

NAL should be a national repository of all USDA

technical information including data bases, complete

collections of State and local data and reports, extensive

collections of foreign materials, and all other agriculture

and related subject area information in any format or

medium. "Agriculture and related subject areas" is

interpreted broadly to include food, fiber, nutrition, and

social science as well as biological and physical research

information in these areas. The repository should operate

through distributed collections in centers of

specialization accessible to all communities of users

through NAL cooperative arrangements. Data on items

in the repository should be accessible through

AGRICOLA.

NAL collects all USDA technical publications.

Databases are not collected comprehensively. USDA

publications and databases are cataloged for

AGRICOLA and some USDA publications are also

analyzed and indexed.

NAL should concentrate on updating its major reference

collection, filling gaps which have developed over the

past few years.

The implementation of an integrated library

management system, VTLS, provided an automated

means to manage holdings, perform systematic claiming

and fill identified gaps. NAL gives priority to filling

gaps for items indexed in AGRICOLA and for

retrospective materials in core agriculture.

Appendix B

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NAL should reflect the needs of its users in its collection

policy and attempt to erase the impression that it serves

only research.

The NAL collection is described as a research collection

using the same criteria as for characterizing the New

York Public Library as a research collection. In both

cases, research is describing the depth and breadth of the

collection, not the users. NAL attempts to serve the

needs of all of USDA, not just researchers.

NAL should extend its coverage of foreign materials to

specific areas and acquire these through exchange

agreements and purchases. NAL should continue to

cooperate with the Library of Congress in its program of

acquiring foreign literature.

NAL makes extensive use of gift and exchange

arrangements to acquire non-U.S. imprints, and is a

participant in LCs overseas acquisitions program.

NAL should be acquiring federal documents in

microform when they are available. Acquisition of

documents in microform will not only insure their

preservation, but will also save space and facilitate their

servicing and use in satisfying interlibrary loan requests.

NAL is a federal depository library and receives

microfilm of federal documents from GPO. GPO

cataloging copy is added directly to NALs online

catalog for these materials.

9) Services and Programs:

NAL should, with outside advice, design a new

collection policy for manuscripts and unique print

material, develop a systematic staffing plan, and a

methodology for making known these special

collections.

NAL collection policy for manuscripts and unique

materials spells out the types of materials which are

appropriate for addition to the NAL collection. A critical

element of this policy is the requirement for financial

resources to process the collection contents. An example

of the success of this policy is the USDA History

Collection, which was transferred to NAL in 1996 with

funding to organize the collection and put the finding aid

on the web.

NAL should increase the number of publications to

which it gives minimal level cataloging, both

monographs and serials considered to be of low research

value or expected to generate little demand.

NAL has implemented minimal level cataloging and

indexing for materials considered to be of low research

value or not in demand for national level cataloging

copy.

NAL should continue to use cataloging records produced

by the GPO for processing government documents and

should endeavor to accept GPO records with as little

change as possible.

In the 1990s NAL began accepting GPO cataloging copy

for materials acquired by NAL as a GPO depository

library.

NAL should adopt standards for bibliographic control

which will permit interchange of files and data bases and

participation in national and international programs.

NAL uses the MARC format, an international standard

for the interchange of cataloging data. NAL cannot

afford to go it alone; it must determine an appropriate

format for its AGRICOLA and avoid frequent changes,

making it more attractive to potential tape customers and

to end users.

NAL has used the MARC format for AGRICOLA since

1979, while the alternate format was discontinued in the

early 1980s. The MARC format and NALs application

of it are both stable and commonly accepted.

Appendix B

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NAL must establish guidelines and procedures for

handling requests to reduce turn around time and assure

quality of the information provided.

NAL has implemented a variety of policy changes which

have reduced the handling of document delivery and

interlibrary loan requests. Most requests are processed in

2 days. 88% of requests are received electronically. Use

of the Internet vastly expands the universe of resources

available to identify those items which are considered

"gray literature". NAL has agreements and contracts in

place with vendors who provide document delivery

services on those items which are outside of NALs

scope or missing from the collection.

NAL should provide a translation service through

standing blanket order contract

NAL, using PL480 funds, established and maintained

contracts with two companies to provide translations of

foreign language materials. As this funding source was

depleted, NAL directed USDA employees to private

companies providing translations services. NAL does

not endorse any company but does provide a list of

potential vendors via the NAL Web site.

NAL should continue working with the Library of

Congress to share foreign language expertise.

The NAL continues to work with the Library of

Congress on a variety of projects.

NAL should expand its AGRICOLA training program to

other user communities to encourage use of this data

base. It should arrange for training in the use of other

agriculturally related data bases for USDA employees.

NAL managed an extensive training and user education

program for AGRICOLA until 1997 when the training

program was de-emphasized and staff reallocated to

other priorities.

NAL should provide umbrella contracts under which

USDA employees would have direct access to outside

data bases. NAL staff would continue to conduct

literature searches from these data bases as requested by

the users.

The NAL has licensed a number of electronic resources

for use within the NAL building via its electronic media

center. Financial resources have not been sufficient to

make this center available on a large scale. The NAL

policy is that USDA agencies underwrite the shared

costs of an "NAL Digital Desktop Library" to provide

direct access to this information.

NAL must extend its hours of service to cover needs of

USDA and outside users. It must also provide evening

and Saturday service if it is to perform as a true national

library. Access to NALs catalog and data bases should

be available at least until midnight.

NALs web presence is accessible to the world 24/7.

Prime resources, such as the NAL catalog, AGRICOLA,

and specialized resources are always available.

NAL must strengthen its security control to prevent loss

of valuable materials from the collection.

Actions have been taken over the years to improve the

physical security of the collections. In addition, NAL is

currently planning the conversion of an office floor to

secured stack space for the Librarys most valuable and

fragile materials. The current Security Task Force is

completing the most recent review of security at NAL

and the Management Team will identify which of the

recommendations can be implemented.

Appendix B

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NAL should rely more heavily on contractor support to

reduce turn around time for loan and photocopy

requests.

NAL has implemented a variety of policy changes which

have reduced the handling of document delivery and

interlibrary loan requests. Most requests are processed in

2 days. 88% of requests are received electronically.

More than 77,000 items were delivered electronically in

FY 2000 - vastly decreasing the amount of time it takes

to get material into the hands of the patrons. NAL has

agreements and contracts in place with vendors who

provide articles directly to USDA patrons for those

items which cannot be filled from the NAL collection.

NAL should extend its cooperative microfilming

program to other special collections of material and

specific subject areas.

NAL is the Land-grant Microfilm Depository, part of its

national responsibility. In FY 1998 NAL acquired

off-site storage space in Pennsylvania to house the

masters of microfilm and microfiche created by the

Land-grant Universities and deposited at NAL. NAL

supports the writing of grants to obtain funds to

microfilm agricultural documents. NAL is converting

several print titles to electronic format, the preferred

method of preservation.

NAL should reduce turn around time on requests to

permit the use of OCLC for interlibrary loan requests.

NAL has implemented a variety of policy changes which

have reduced the handling of document delivery and

interlibrary loan requests. Most requests are processed in

2 days. 88% of requests are received electronically with

OCLC requests constituting approximately 26% of those

requests.

NAL should serve as the Departments interface with the

National Technical Information Service (NTIS).

NAL continues to be the major contact point between

USDA and NTIS, though diversified service offerings at

NTIS mean that other USDA agencies may also have

direct contact with units within NTIS.

NAL should serve as channel for making USDA agency

technical data bases available to the public where

appropriate and desirable, either through NTIS or other

means.

NAL catalogs USDA electronic resources, including

databases, adds them to AGRICOLA and provides URL

linkages directly to the online databases for all users

with Internet access.

NAL should serve as a coordinator clearinghouse and

locator for information on USDA data bases,

publications and other information media. Its data base

should include data on formats, tape or file

characteristics, subject coverage, contact point, data

elements, and years of coverage. It should prepare

catalogs from this inventory of USDA information as

appropriate.

Inventories have been attempted several times, but the

advent of Government Information Locator System

(GILS) has supplanted separate NAL activities in this

regard.

Appendix B

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NAL should cooperate with the Extension Service, other

USDA agencies and other groups in both the public and

private sectors in developing programs to support

educational and teaching efforts such as local learning

centers and training in the use of agricultural

information.

Through participation in educational events, such as

meetings of the Future Farmers of America and others,

NAL is actively pursuing its goal of delivery of quality

information to its youngest audience. More advance

information is disseminated through specialized

information centers and targeted towards specific subject

areas such as food safety and animal welfare.

NAL should update its directory of agricultural

information sources and maintain this in an on-line data

base to facilitate operation of an agricultural information

clearinghouse and referral center. The clearinghouse

data base should be available through AGRICOLA.

Much of this information is made available through the

NAL Web site (http://www.nal.usda.gov). Other aspects

are covered through the Agriculture Network

Information Center (AgNIC), formed in 1994.

NAL must tighten its policy on circulating items and

enforce the loan period to assure availability of

materials.

NAL has implemented a variety of policy changes which

have reduced the handling of document delivery and

interlibrary loan requests. The loan period of 30 days is

enforced, with follow-up and overdue notices sent at

regular intervals. After NAL instituted delivery by

FedEx of loaned materials, the loss rate dropped to 0%.

In addition, NAL pays for the FedEx return of loaned

materials from USDA employees - this allows them to

keep the materials until the day before they are due and

has almost eliminated the need for overdue notices.

NAL should continue the ALIN newsletter as a valuable

means of communication with agricultural libraries,

notifying them of published and in process

bibliographies, books and new journals.

Though NAL recognized that ALIN provided a useful

channel of communications on agricultural information

activities, it ceased publishing ALIN with the December

1997 edition due to NAL concerns about the quarterlys

timeliness and cost of production and distribution

considering NALs flat budgets and reduced staff.

NAL in 2001 is developing format and schedule

alternatives to consider that will fill the gap left by

ALINs demise. We want to use existing technologies to

produce a timely new publication at less cost.

NAL should issue other key word lists of foreign serials,

similar to those for Slavic and Chinese serials.

In 1988 NAL assisted in the publication of the World

List of Poultry Journals and in 1992, NAL co-produced

the World List of Agricultural Serials on CD-ROM.

New vendor products and distribution technologies have

greatly reduced the need for more special serial lists by

language or subject.

NAL should provide an "800" number for a message

service to be used by librarians who need help from

NAL.

NAL is emphasizing electronic means of communication

with its users. Around the clock availability of the web

and always open e-mail facilitates better means of

accessing NALs resources.

NAL should issue regional union lists of agricultural

serials (in microfiche to reduce costs), to aid in

collection developments and improve interlibrary loan

service.

In 1988 NAL assisted in the publication of the World

List of Poultry Journals and in 1992 NAL co-produced

the World List of Agricultural Serials on CD-ROM.

Appendix B

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AGRICOLA

NAL should immediately contract for a major systems

study of AGRICOLA. Top management must commit to

a major overhaul of the system, applying the latest

technology in software and computer equipment, as well

as high standards for input, format and vocabulary

control. Since AGRICOLA is NALs major tool for

access to worldwide agricultural information, it should

be given highest priority.

The AGRICOLA system has been studied, modified,

upgraded, and replaced several times since 1982. NAL is

considering a new system in 2001.

NAL should develop a thesaurus for AGRICOLA. In

line with NALs assuming a leadership role on both the

national and international levels, NAL should accept

AGROVOC, as is, as the thesaurus for AGRICOLA or,

if this is not possible, to bring about the changes

necessary to AGROVOC to make it acceptable through

participation in pertinent international activities.

NAL adopted the CAB International thesaurus in 1985.

NAL should investigate with OCLC the possibility of

producing AGRICOLA through that bibliographic

utility. A record linking technique which accommodates

analytical entries has been agreed upon and will be

published shortly. NAL should negotiate with OCLC

regarding implementation of the new technique on that

system and regarding subsequent input of analytic

entries from AGRICOLA to OCLC.

The record-linking technique was included in the

MARC format and adopted by NAL in 1984. This

recommendation was made before NAL implemented

the current integrated library management system which

provide customized validation and input support that

was not available on OCLC in the 1980s. As recently as

1998, NAL discussed AGRICOLA requirements with

OCLC and found that they could not support indexing

without changes to the OCLCs World Cat operations.

10) International Activities:

NAL should participate more actively in AGRIS and its

many activities to assure U.S. influence on policy

direction and program development.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the

United Nations is a major international partner of NAL.

FAO coordinates the AGRIS database (AGRIS is the

international information system for agricultural science

and technology). AGRIS is produced cooperatively

through the efforts of 199 national centers, 20 regional

centers, and 9 intergovernmental centers which assume

responsibility for providing bibliographic control over

the agricultural publications produced within their

respective countries. NAL contributes approximately

50,000 new citations to the AGRIS database each year.

NAL should participate in, and spearhead if necessary,

efforts to achieve international agreements on formats,

divisions of responsibility, content of machine-readable

data bases pertaining to agriculture and distribution of

these data bases. The long-range goal should be the

creation of an international machine-readable

agricultural data base realized through cooperation. This

cooperation should result in international standards

which NAL, because of its influence on their

development, can accept.

NAL cooperates with FAO in building the AGRIS

database. NAL Director Pam Andre chaired the

AGRIS/CARIS steering committee overseeing the

redesign of the system in 1988. In addition, NAL has

worked with CAB International to combine special

subsets of AGRICOLA records for distribution of

CD-ROMs to South America (Agroambiente) and

Integrated Pest Management for Southeast Asia.

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NAL should enhance its formal agreements to cover its

exchange and other programs with foreign governments.

NAL coordinates the USDA publication exchange

program, offering USDA publications in exchange for

publications of comparable value from foreign

governments and institutions that would be difficult to

acquire through regular channels. Currently, the NAL

initiates and coordinates these exchanges with over

5,000 partners from 118 countries worldwide. The

Librarys active publication exchange program accounts

for about 70% of all periodicals currently received.

In addition to exerting national leadership, NAL should

play a major role in the development and execution of

standards and cooperative ventures at the international

level.

The NAL has been an active participant in the National

Information Standards Organization (NISO), as well as a

collaborator with the U.N. Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO) and others on international

standards development.

11) Use of Technology:

NAL should establish an Automated Systems Planning

and Oversight Committee. The Committee should

include four to six members representing all major

operating units of NAL, including administration. It

should be chaired by a high-ranking member from the

Directors Office who would be fully knowledgeable of

library operations and all the information programs

supported by the library and be recognized as speaking

for the Director on automated systems planning matters.

Subject matter expertise in library operations,

reproduction, computer technology, communications,

information retrieval, etc., must be provided by a

Committee member or supporting task groups or

temporary members for specific projects.

NAL established a similar committee in 1983 to procure

a new integrated library system and manage its

operation. At this time, such functions are performed by

the NAL management team.

The Committee should develop a comprehensive list of

all information systems and programs operated by or for

the library in support of:

Acquisition, Indexing, Circulation, Warehousing, Series

Control, Card Catalogs, Collection, On-Line Retrieval,

Reference, Profile Processing, Cataloging, Data Bases,

Abstracting, Bibliographies

These actions are all part of the effort to obtain an

integrated library system, completed in 1987.

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Establish a Technical Review Task Group of responsible

Library staff members to query other libraries and

information centers about their use of current technology

and report back to the Oversight Committee.

Additionally, it should use outside expertise to

determine the state-of-the-art of available technologies,

and systems to support:

On-line Input, On-line Search, Microform Storage and

Distribution, On-line Cataloging, Library Network,

Image Transmission, Video Disk, Optical Disk,

Micro/Minicomputer, etc.

These actions are all part of the effort to obtain an

integrated library system, completed in 1987.

That the Oversight Committee recommend an overall

system that would meet the current and future needs of

NAL. The selected overall system should provide the

widest possible flexibility for selecting specific

equipment for the individual processes developed. A

Systems Development Task Group should then be

appointed to develop the details of the proposed system.

Members of this Task Group should have expertise in

the technologies designed into the system. To the extent

possible, NAL staff members should be utilized, but, if

necessary, additional help could be obtained from other

agencies, if available, or from a contractor.

These actions are all part of the effort to obtain an

integrated library system, completed in 1987.

Re-examine the decision which led to NAL obtaining

primary support from the Washington Computer Center

(WCC). There is now general consensus that distributed

systems are preferable to complete reliance on a large

mainframe computer. Costs of using a large central

facility can no longer be justified.

NAL has gradually replaced its dependence on WCC

and NITC mainframes with mini- and micro-computer

systems of its own.

NAL should use existing state-of-the-art library and

information systems applications and software where

possible rather than independently design, develop and

implement new systems.

This is NALs approach.

12) Agricultural Information Network:

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NAL must develop a formal plan for a national

agricultural information network consistent with

Congressional and Departmental intent and expressed

user interests. This network plan should incorporate

participants, programs and services, and

communications requirements. It should reflect a well

thought out approach to resource sharing among the

participants, in terms of specialized collections, timely

processing of information and provision of services.

Decentralized services points should be established to

assure equality of access at the lowest possible cost to

any participant or user of the network.

The NAL and representatives of land-grant university

libraries formed the United States Agriculture Network

(USAIN) in July of 1988. This network is comprised of

libraries and information centers in the fields of

agriculture and related sciences. Its mission is to provide

a forum for discussion of agricultural issues; to take a

leadership role in the formation of a national information

policy as related to agriculture; to support the National

Agricultural Library (NAL) on agricultural information

matters; to promote cooperation and communication

among its members, and with other organizations and

individuals.

In 1995, NAL established the Agriculture Network

Information Center (AgNIC) (http://www.agnic.org), a

discipline-specific, distributed network on the Internet.

AgNIC provides quality agricultural information

selected by a coalition involving the National

Agricultural Library, Land-Grant Universities, and other

institutions. In 2000, AgNIC greeted five new members,

bringing the partnership to nearly 40, and offered 28

subject-specific sites, with over 20 additional subject

sites expected by the end of 2001.

NAL should assume leadership of a national program for

the acquisition, cataloging and indexing of agricultural

materials. NAL has not been represented at meetings of

the American Library Association or at other forums for

discussion and development of national standards and

national cooperative programs. Only through aggressive

participation in such activities can NAL attain the

visibility and stature necessary to influence the

development of acceptable standards and promote

cooperative efforts. NAL itself has much to gain through

standardization and cooperation at the national level.

NALs Head of Acquisitions represents the library at the

discussion group of the Collection Development

Officers of Large Academic and Research Libraries at

ALA; the Associate Directors of Technical Services and

Public Services sit on similar round tables with

colleagues from the major US academic and research

libraries. NAL is a voting member of the National

Information Standards Organization (NISO) and the

Federal Libraries and Information Centers Committee

(FLICC).

NAL should continue its current arrangements with

On-Line Computer Library Center (OCLC) and should

continue working with OCLC management and staff to

insure the timely and widespread availability of

bibliographical data for agricultural materials. NALs

use of OCLC not only makes its cataloging output

available to many other libraries throughout the country,

it also affords NAL the means to take advantage of the

bibliographical work produced by other institutions. In

short, OCLC can serve as a very effective tool for a

national cooperative cataloging program for agricultural

materials. NAL itself should be the national

bibliographical center for publications in agriculture.

However, one of its important functions as a leader

should be the establishment of programs for delegating

NAL continues to utilize OCLC as a central source of

bibliographic information for materials in its collection

as well as for partners in the National Agricultural

Cooperative Cataloging Program (AGX). Libraries of 12

land-grant institutions add cataloging records to OCLC

which are downloaded to NAL and redistributed via

AGRICOLA. NAL was an active participant in OCLCs

InterCat project in 1995-1997 to create a large central

database of Internet resources and continues its

involvement in developing standards for cataloging Web

resources through OCLCs CORC project. Records of

microfilm masters for USAINs National Program for

the Preservation of Agricultural Literature are added to

OCLC and to AGRICOLA for widespread distribution

to other libraries. NAL Director Pam Andre is on the

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to other centers for agricultural research, extension, and

higher education throughout the nation, responsibility

for cataloging certain categories of agricultural

publications.

OCLC Research Libraries Advisory Committee.

NAL should serve as a clearinghouse for agricultural

information anywhere. This will permit referrals to

sources better prepared to provide responses to many

specific requests.

NAL helped launch and serves as secretariat for the

AgNIC initiative that functions as a gateway to centers

of excellence in agricultural information. NALs

information centers participate as AgNIC sites for

providing responses to information needs in their

respective areas of expertise.

NAL should assume leadership in the development and

coordination of national cooperative programs for the

acquisition of agricultural materials. While NAL should

serve as the Library of last resort for agricultural

research materials not available elsewhere in the

country, it should also undertake to delegate to other

centers responsibility for collecting certain categories of

agricultural publications. Similar efforts are already

underway in the Research Libraries Group and the

Association of Research Libraries. Just as they have

come to endorse sharing of bibliographical data, libraries

have come to realize rising costs and budgetary

constraints necessitate their sharing responsibility for the

acquisition and servicing of the publications as well.

NAL has coordinated cooperative programs to ensure

the identification and bibliographic control of

publications from state extension offices and experiment

stations. As these publications transition to electronic

versions, NAL is working through AgNIC to develop

rapid and effective means of access to the full text of

state publications.

Go to Appendix C

Return to Contents

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix D

Return to Contents

Appendix C

Milestones 1982-2000

Legislative and Administrative 2

Collection Building 5

Agricultural Information Access 8

Bibliographic Services 15

Collection Development 17

Information Technology 10

Abraham Lincoln Building 22

National Agricultural Library

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Service

March 1, 2001

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Legislative and Administrative Milestones, 1982-2000

National Agricultural Library

Aug. 1982 Interagency Panel for the Assessment of NAL (Blue Ribbon Panel 1982) report, Assessment of

the National Agricultural Library-Final Report to the Secretary, is presented to Secretary of

Agriculture John Block.

June 1983 Joseph H. Howard named NAL Director, June 14, 1983 by USDA Assistant Secretary Orville

G. Bentley.

1983-1984 NAL reorganizes based on changes proposed or endorsed by the Blue-Ribbon Panel 1982.

June 1986 NAL establishes a Visiting Scholar Program with Dr. Tony P. Mazzaccaro, a specialist in

aquaculture and marine sciences, as the first participant.

Sep. 1986 NAL awards a contract to Virginia Tech Library Systems, Inc. to install an integrated library

system incorporating the latest computer technology and software in the Library over a 2-year

period. The award follows two years of assessing needs, evaluating proposals, and testing

potential systems, and carries out Blue Ribbon Panel 1982 recommendations to acquire a

turnkey system.

July 1987 NAL joins APHIS and ARS in signing an Interagency Agreement with the Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) to cooperate in sharing information of mutual interest.

July 1988 NAL and the land-grant libraries establish the United States Agriculture Information Network

(USAIN), a network of libraries and information centers in agriculture and related subjects, and

elects officers at the first meeting.

Sep. 1988 NAL and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC)

renew their commitments to cooperate to advance the ways in which agricultural libraries can

improve services to researchers, educators, students, farmers, and ranchers.

1990 NAL Director Joseph H. Howard elected President of the International Association of

Agricultural Librarians and Documentalists ( IAALD) at its meeting in Budapest, Hungary.

Nov. 1990 NAL is officially established by Public Law 101-624-NOV. 28, 1990, the "Food, Agriculture,

Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990" as "the National Agricultural Library to serve as the

primary agricultural information resource of the United States"-the wording for the NAL

Mission as recommended by Blue Ribbon Panel 1982.

March 1991 NAL and ARS sign a letter of understanding March 20, in which NAL agrees to "oversee

development of a coordinated network of information services, programs and products for ARS

researchers."

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Nov. 1991 NAL sponsors and hosts the 1st U.S./Central European Agricultural Library Roundtable (The

8th Roundtable is scheduled for May 2001.) at NAL, under the theme Information Transfer in a

Global Economy: Forging New Connections, in cooperation with USDA's Office of

International Cooperation and Development (OICD) and the NAL Associates. Libraries with

national agricultural responsibilities of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania,

and Yugoslavia participated. Participants created and signed a 5-year program of cooperation.

Nov. 1992 NAL cosponsors Plant Genome I, an international conference, November 9-11, at San Diego,

CA. Other cosponsors include ARS, Japan's National Institute of Agrobiological Resources, the

U.K.'s John Innes Centre, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the publication Agro-Food Industry

hi-tech.

Feb. 1993 NAL initiates a strategic planning process and holds a half-day orientation meeting on strategic

planning for all staff under the technical guidance of the Office of Management Studies of the

Association of Research Libraries.

1993 NAL takes responsibility for an interagency pilot project to implement options for improving

the Global Change Master Directory for the agencies participating in the U.S. Global Change

Research Program (USGCRP).

1993 NAL hosts its first Cochran Fellows.

Jan. 1994 NAL and the Inter-American Development Bank, in cooperation with IAALD, the Associates

NAL, USAIN, and USDA's Office of International Cooperation and Development, host

representatives of agricultural organizations in Latin American and Caribbean countries,

January 24-28, for an intensive Inter-American Planning Workshop for [Agricultural]

Information Transfer and Networking.

Sep. 1994 NAL publishes its Mission, Values, Vision statements as part of the Library's strategic planning

process.

Nov. 1994 Pamela Q. J. André becomes Director of NAL, effective November 14.

Dec. 1994 As part of a department-wide USDA reorganization which reduced from 43 to 28 the number of

USDA agencies, NAL is merged with the Agricultural Research Service, which in turn is part

of the USDA Research, Education, and Economics Mission Area.

Jan. 1995 NAL Director Pamela Q. J. André elected to the IAALD Board of Directors.

July 1995 NAL meets with library directors from 8 land-grant universities to plan actions to revitalize the

relationship between NAL and the land-grant libraries. Participants discuss collections,

services, preservation, international programs, electronic information initiative, and other

interests.

Aug. 1995 NAL's customer service team reports on the customer surveys distributed in the Spring; NAL is

rated favorably by its customers.

Oct. 1995 NAL achieves its 100th Anniversary as a government documents Federal Depository Library

and is honored with a commemorative plaque by the Government Printing Office.

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1996 NAL publishes 3 Key Result Areas and 11 Goals developed in the second phase of its strategic

planning process. The third phase will be the development of operational plans within the

library's divisions.

Sep. 1996 NAL Director Pamela Q.J. André, participates in the opening of the Egyptian National

Agricultural Library in Cairo, Egypt, September 6, after a decade of NAL assistance and

cooperation.

April 2000 NAL holds a symposium, Who Will Pay for On-Farm Environmental Improvements in the 21st

Century?; a luncheon honoring Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Richard Rominger; and a

public ceremony and reception officially dedicating the newly renovated 1st Floor.

Aug. 2000 USDA establishes an Interagency Panel for Assessment of the National Agricultural Library

("A Blue Ribbon Panel 2000") to study the NAL and its services and make recommendations

for the future.

Collection Building Milestones, 1982-2000

National Agricultural Library

March 1984 NAL works with the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries to develop a

comprehensive list of nursery and seed companies, nurserymen, historical societies, museums

and libraries to locate both old and current collections of nursery and seed catalogs.

April 1984 NAL completes processing of two special extension collections donated by the Extension

Service--dissertations, theses, and Federal and State extension publications-and the State

Cooperative Extension Services of the Northeast Region-State extension publications from the

Rutgers collection. With help of extension personnel and a contract with Zimmerman

Associates of Falls Church, VA, nearly 5,900 titles were cataloged and input to OCLC between

1981 and 1983 of which 85% were new to the NAL collection. An additional 3,500 minimum

level cataloging records were processed into OCLC of which 82% were original.

1984 NAL acquires entire microfiche collection of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)

as part of a cooperative indexing agreement between NAL and VIMS. The bibliographic

database, AQUACULTURE, has been online with DIALOG since 1980.

1984 NAL cooperates with the Forest Service through an interagency agreement in the development

of FS INFO, an online network of field libraries and a bibliographic database supporting

forestry.

Jan. 1985 An agreement between NAL and the Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Information System

(ASFIS) on the coverage of aquaculture in AGRICOLA and ASFIS and products including the

ASFA Aquaculture Abstracts becomes effective.

June 1985 The Feed Composition Data Bank (FCDB) of the International Feedstuffs Institute (IFI)

transfers from Utah State University to NAL. Transfer of the data bank is completed in

September 1985.

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Sep. 1985 NAL offers access to the National Pesticide Information Retrieval System (NPIRS) which

includes data on about 50,000 products registered by the EPA. NPIRS was developed at Purdue

University through a cooperative agreement with the USDA.

Sep. 1985 NAL and the Forest Service sign an interagency agreement September 30 transferring the

Forest Service's historic photo collection to the National Agricultural Library. The head of the

Forest Service photo library transferred to NAL with the collection. The agreement provides for

a 3- year pilot study in which NAL will develop procedures and systems for handling and

researching collections of visual materials.

Dec. 1985 NAL receives a significant and comprehensive collection of materials on Agent Orange, the

herbicide from the Veteran's Administration Library. About 2/3 of the collection relates to the

effects of Agent Orange on plants and animals. It complements NAL's extensive holdings on

herbicide research and includes monographs, newspaper and journal articles and reprints,

technical reports, hearings testimony, audiovisuals, and a manual indexing system. NAL is

seeking funds to catalog and index the materials for input into AGRICOLA.

Jan. 1986 Feed Composition Data Bank is operational at NAL.

April 1987 NAL accepts the transfer of the Pomological Watercolors Collection from the U.S. National

Arboretum at its dedication of the Special Collections Reading Room on April 16.

1988-1989 NAL accepts transfer from the U.S. National Arboretum of the documentary photograph

collection of more than 100,000 images from the Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction Service.

The collection contains photographs from all over the world by renowned plant explorers and

collectors, including David Fairchild, Frank N. Meyer, P. Howard Dorsett, Albert Spear

Hitchcock.

May 1989 NAL and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) agree to procedures to include

appropriate MIT dissertations in AGRICOLA.

April 1991 NAL accepts a bronze bust of Gifford Pinchot, first chief of the U.S. Forest Service; the

life-size bust was sculpted by Rudolph Wendelin, and presented by the Pinchot Institute for

Conservation. Dr. William Klein, President of the Pinchot Institute, made the presentation.

1991 NAL accepts the archives of the American Agricultural Economics Association.

Aug. 1993 NAL discovers 11 agriculturally-related letters to and from Thomas Jefferson, including 3

original Jefferson letters, in a file being examined by ERS historian Anne Effland, and creates a

nationwide flurry of interest with the announcement.

1993 NAL adds to its collection the 17-disc Compact International Agricultural Research Library:

Basic Retrospective Set 1962-1986 (CIARL BRS), produced by CGIAR and the World Bank

with NAL participation; it contains 1,350 titles (more than 190,000 pages) and over 50,000

graphic images.

1997 NAL receives the USDA History Collection from the former Agricultural and Rural History

Section of USDA's Economic Research Service; NAL assigned a full-time archivist and several

part-time graduate students to process and organize the collection and establish a USDA

History Collection Web site.

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1998 NAL signs an agreement with the Biblioteca Central Magna (BCM) of the Autonomous

University of Nuevo Leon (UANL), Mexico, to cooperate in enhancing access to agricultural

and related information; both have been exchanging information and working together to

improve services on an informal basis since 1996.

Agricultural Information Access Milestones, 1982-2000

National Agricultural Library

July 1983 NAL creates a new regional document delivery systems region covering Michigan, Ohio,

Pennsylvania, New York, with the Mann Library at Cornell serving as coordinator.

1984 NAL contracts with Bibliographic Retrieval Service (BRS) in Latham, NY, to develop a pilot

prototype full-text database containing the entire content of the Pork Industry Handbook, the

first full-text database produced by NAL. The final products, an online computer version

searchable through BRS or a laser videodisc for use on a microcomputer, are available in

summer 1985. Purdue University coordinates evaluation of the disc and database.

Dec. 1984 Secretary of Agriculture John R. Block signs an agreement under which NAL will receive funds

from the American Florists Endowment (AFE) to be used to disseminate information on

floriculture to growers, wholesalers, and retailers in the floriculture industry; NAL receives an

initial sum of $30,000; in addition AFE presents $10,000 to the Associates of NAL, Inc., to

enhance access to floriculture literature.

1986-1987 NAL inaugurates its National Agricultural Text Digitizing Project (NATDP). NAL assembles a

panel of land-grant library directors to evaluate the system, September 12, 1986. Subsequent

cooperative agreements determine the operation of the project. By spring 1987, NAL and 41

land-grant libraries are participants in the project.

1987 NAL and University of Maryland Center for Instructional Development and Education, under a

cooperative agreement, begin production and filming for an interactive laser videodisc training

course for searching the AGRICOLA database; the course is to be known as AGRICOLearn.

Oct. 1987 NAL officially unveils its Forest Service Photographs Videodisc with a ceremony and

demonstration at USDA's Williamsburg Room on October 20. At the same event a project to

create a laser videodisc containing historical and archival photos from USDA agencies is

proposed. The official USDA photographs collection maintained by the Office of Information

are to be included.

1987 NAL and CAB International cooperate in the preparation of a World List of Agricultural

Serials.

April 1988 NAL begins participation in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) preservation planning

program, a self-study consulting program assessing the Library's preservation practices and

needs. The preservation study was completed in 1989.

1988 NAL introduces ALF: Agricultural Library Forum, its micro-computer-based, dial-in, electronic

bulletin board system for exchanging and disseminating agricultural information.

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Sep. 1988 NAL provides self-service searching of CD-ROM products at both the Library's main location

in Beltsville and the Library's DC Reference Center.

Sep. 1988 NAL expands its interlibrary loan services, previously expanded in September 1987, to include

receipt of requests via TWX/TELEX, telefacsimile (i.e., fax.). NAL also receives requests

forwarded from NLM via DOCLINE.

March 1989 NAL distributes Aquaculture I, the first National Agricultural Text Digitizing Project (NATDP)

CD-ROM, which contains the text and page images of 62 aquaculture reference publications, to

the 44 land-grant libraries participating in the project.

Fall 1989 NAL and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) release

Food, Agriculture, and Science, the first multi-lingual, agricultural research CD-ROM in a

series that will include 6,000 titles.

Jan. 1990 NAL announces at ALA Mid-Winter in Chicago that the NATDP CGIAR CD-ROM is being

evaluated, the Acid Rain 3-disc CD-ROM has been mastered and will be distributed in March,

and the Agent Orange CD-ROM will be distributed for evaluation in April.

March 1990 NAL and the Extension Service announce completion of their joint National CD-ROM

Sampler: An Extension Reference Library; it contains more than 12,000 documents (over

50,000 pages), 1,500 graphics, 50 computer programs, and 14 minutes of audio.

April 1990 NAL executes a cooperative agreement with Mann Library at Cornell University to participate

in the Core Agricultural Literature Project and contributes $15,000 for work on the Agricultural

Engineering volume.

1990 NAL issues REGIS II, the second generation of a computerized information project on African

aquaculture.

Oct. 1990 NAL and USDA's Office of Governmental and Public Affairs complete and issue the

Photographic Collection of the United States Department of Agriculture laser videodisc.

Oct. 1990 NAL distributes the Agent Orange CD-ROM to land-grant libraries participating in the

NATDP, October 19.

Jan. 1991 NAL announces that the third phase of the NATDP, transmitting digital images over the

INTERNET, has produced images "markedly superior to facsimile transmissions."

April 1991 NAL announces the National CD-ROM Sampler: An Extension Reference Library, completed

in March 1990, is available for sale from Virginia Tech, one of the partners in the project.

June 1991 NAL completes mastering of the Food Irradiation CD-ROM as part of the NATDP.

Aug. 1991 NAL publishes a Global Change Information Packet, containing reprints of articles supporting

and rejecting the global change concern, bibliographies, a guide to information sources, a

directory of global climate change organizations, and other materials.

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Aug. 1991 NAL cooperates with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Extension

Service to develop a comprehensive bibliography for use in pesticide applicator training (PAT);

the program produces 2 products: PEST (Pesticide Education, Safety, and Training), a

hypermedia database, and Pesticide Applicator Training Materials: A Bibliography.

Sep. 1991 NAL demonstrates Plant It! CD: A Multimedia CD-ROM on Ornamental Horticulture at the

IAALD Symposium at NAL.

Sep. 1991 NAL publishes A Preservation Plan for the National Agricultural Library, an outgrowth and

report of the NAL preservation study begun in 1989.

Oct. 1991 NAL and the NATDP announce the availability of the Food Irradiation CD-ROM.

1992 NAL in cooperation with the University of Florida Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences

and the Michigan State University Cooperative Extension Service releases the Plant It! CD,

covering nearly 1,000 plants.

1992 NAL and the NATDP release the CD-ROM containing the Agronomy Journal, Volumes 1-16,

1907-1924, produced with the assistance of the American Society of Agronomy.

Nov. 1992 NAL and NATDP issue the final report of the NATDP pilot-project produced by Iowa State

University to a limited audience.

Dec. 1992 NAL launches an electronic information initiative to research, plan, and implement a systematic

program of managing data in electronic form.

Jan. 1993 NAL establishes RDDS-L, a listserv for the Regional Document Delivery System, maintained

at Mann Library, Cornell University.

1993 NAL and NATDP have created a multi-media database containing full text, images, and sound

which resides on a NeXT workstation. Using InfoStation software developed by VTLS, the

database is linked to ISIS to provide users access to full text, images, and sound enhancements

of publications for which the bibliographic information is in ISIS.

1993 NAL and NATDP complete and distribute the George Washington Carver Papers CD-ROM

containing microfilm reels 1, 2, and 48 of a 67-reel set on Dr. Carver from Tuskegee University,

along with the full text of the Guide to the Microfilm Edition.

1993 NAL and NATDP complete and distribute the revised version of the Food Irradiation 1

CD-ROM with page images in a standard format, enhanced bibliographic records, 94

non-copyrighted publications (over 51,000 pages) as the first part of a large collection donated

to NAL that will be placed on CD-ROM over the next 2 years.

Fall 1993 NAL and NATDP announce the availability of the final report of the NATDP pilot project

issued with limited distribution in November 1992.

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Nov. 1993 NAL's Electronic Initiative Steering Committee completes its report Phase I Final Report, The

Electronic Information Initiative: A Key Success Factor in the NAL Strategic Plan; Phase I

consisted of an examination of the issues associated with the library's ability to manage

electronically created and stored information; subcommittees were charged with providing

recommendations for changing policies and procedures related to the acquisition, processing,

access, dissemination, collection maintenance, and preservation of electronic journals, media,

databases, and others.

1993 NAL and NATDP announce and distribute the Aquaculture II CD-ROM, also called "Aqua2."

Feb. 1994 NAL announces that beginning January 1, 1995, electronic information becomes the preferred

medium for library materials and services, a goal set in the Library's just-completed Electronic

Information Initiative, Phase I, part of its strategic planning.

1994 NAL makes the Plant Genome Database of USDA available over the Internet; it contains data

for important crop species including maize, soybean, small grains (wheat, barley, oats), rice,

and tomato, and for Arabidopsis, an organism that has served as a model for plant genetic

research; gopher and FTP forms of the database are also accessible.

1994 NAL and the NATDP in cooperation with the American Society of Agronomy publish the 2nd

CD-ROM in the series: Agronomy Journal, Volumes 17-22 (1925-1930).

1994 NAL makes available a sample database of global change information over the Internet; it is a

pilot project of the Global Change Data and Information System by the USGCRP.

Dec. 1995 NAL in collaboration with several land-grant universities and USDA/REE agencies establishes

a pilot AgNIC Home Page on the Internet.

1996 NAL and NATDP make available Food Irradiation 2, a CD-ROM containing 11,000 pages of

government research from the 1950s and 60s.

1996 NAL joins with 30 other ARL libraries in the Latin Americanist Research Resources Pilot

Project and is participating in the serials portion of the pilot project by agreeing to maintain

subscription responsibility for selected serials, providing contents information for the serials to

the University of Texas Latin American Network Information Center (UT-LANIC) database,

and expediting document delivery for this material at no cost to project participants.

1996 NAL and 9 land-grant libraries join in the first phase of the USAIN National Preservation

Program for Agricultural Literature; the first phase, funded by an $850,000 grant from the

National Endowment for the Humanities, will identify and preserve historical literature about

agricultural development and rural life covering 1820 to 1945.

1996 NAL announces that AgNIC now includes a directory entitled: Directories of Experts in

Agriculture which includes hypertext links to 21 directories.

Sep. 1996 NAL discontinues its electronic bulletin board system, ALF, on September 30, as it was

overtaken by events.

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1996 NAL puts the Data Base of the Occurrence and Distribution of Pesticides in Chesapeake Bay on

the AgNIC web site. It joins the following 5 components of the web site: AgDB; AGRICOLA

Subject Category Codes; Agricultural Conferences, Meetings, Seminars Calendar; Directories

of Experts in Agriculture; and the Online Reference Service Pilot Project.

1997 NAL's Animal Welfare Information Center and the U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services produce the Compendium of Animal REsources (CARE) CD-ROM, containing more

than 160 documents related to animal care and use. The CD-ROM is prepared through and for

sale by the Government Printing Office.

1997 NAL develops its Electronic Media Center (EMC) from prior software and technology

demonstration centers, expanding the number of resources and databases available to users in

the Library in Beltsville, the DC Reference Center, and to ARS staff on their desktop

computers.

1997 NAL and NATDP release the 3rd CD-ROM in a series: Agronomy Journal Volumes 23-28

(1931-1936); and the 1st CD-ROM in a series: American Journal of Agricultural Economics.

1998 NAL expands electronic document delivery, partly by providing Ariel software and technical

support to over 20 USDA regional offices and the libraries of the 1890 Land-Grant Universities

and Tuskegee University.

July 1998 NAL begins to move its collection of microform masters, including those of the land-grant

cooperative microfilming projects for which NAL is the depository, to the Iron

Mountain-National Underground Storage site in Boyers, Pennsylvania, where the storage

environment and services meet national preservation standards.

1998 NAL completes a draft Preservation Plan.

Jan. 1999 NAL and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launch the International Bibliographic

Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS), Internet site and database, containing over

350,000 citations to scientific literature from 1986 to the present derived from AGRICOLA,

AGRIS International, and MEDLINE, on January 6.

1999 NAL expands the USDA History Collection web page, in the 3rd year of the project to organize

the collection and make it accessible; NAL also began to preserve some of the brittle and

deteriorating documents.

1999 NAL begins the 2nd phase of its project to establish a national microfilm archive for significant

national, state, and local agricultural literature at the Iron Mountain-National Underground

Storage site in Boyers, Pennsylvania.

1999 NAL's CALS begins to use Current Contents® and to offer to ARS web-based access to

Current Contents Connect® in response to recommendations of the ARS-wide Research

Information Needs Action Team.

2000 NAL completes preservation digitization of the Journal of Agricultural Research.

Aug. 2000 NAL and the AgNIC Alliance release new system architecture with new searching and

thesaurus features.

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2000 NAL puts into place a new and increased fee structure for document delivery. NAL and NTIS

complete a fee-based billing service agreement under which NTIS will process NAL's patron

billing.

Nov. 2000 NAL is selected to participate in the Preservation Environment Monitor Field Trial of the Image

Permanence Institute; the program will provide systematic monitoring of environmental

conditions in the Library to guide preservation and collection management.

Bibliographic Services Milestones, 1982-2000

National Agricultural Library

Jan. 1984 NAL begins cooperative indexing program with the Arid Lands Information Center at the

University of Arizona, beginning with 90 journal titles (expanded to 180 titles by September

1986).

1984 After dropping out of the Cooperative Online Serials (CONSER) project for several years

because of lack of funds, NAL resumes its national role in serials processing, rejoining

CONSER and joining the Name Authority Cooperation (NACO). Thereby, becoming the

Nation's authority for establishing and verifying the names of agricultural organizations

appearing in library catalogs, and taking national responsibility for the coordination and quality

control of information about current agricultural serials.

1984 NAL selects CAB Thesaurus as a controlled vocabulary for agriculture. The CAB Thesaurus

terms were included in AGRICOLA indexing records beginning with the January 1985 sale

tape.

1984 NAL initiates the NAL/Land-Grant University State agricultural publications program through

which the land-grant libraries acquire State Agricultural Experiment Station and Extension

Service publications, process them, provide copies to NAL, provide full-level cataloging

records to NAL, and provide document delivery services from their copies.

Sep. 1985 NAL links directly with the LC database MUMS (Multiple Use MARC System), NACO (Name

Authority Cooperative Project), and CONSER (Conversion of Serials Project) by three

Comterm terminals installed in the Cataloging Branch, speeding up and improving accuracy of

processing.

March 1986 NAL's journal evaluation committee, formed in 1985, completes its review of journals indexed

by NAL and cooperators, to recommend journals for coverage in AGRICOLA. NAL decides to

focus on U.S. publications and publications not indexed elsewhere, and to avoid overlap with

AGRIS and other indexing services.

Sep. 1986 NAL awards a contract to Virginia Tech Library Systems, Inc. to install an integrated library

system incorporating the latest computer technology and software in the Library over a 2-year

period. The award follows two years of assessing needs, evaluating proposals, and testing

potential systems, and carries out Blue Ribbon Panel 1982 recommendations to acquire a

turnkey system.

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Jan. 1987 NAL's AGRICOLA database is offered on compact disc by SilverPlatter Information Services

in a non-exclusive agreement with the Library; it is first demonstrated at the ALA Midwinter

conference in Chicago.

May 1989 NAL, CAB International (CABI), and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural

Research (CGIAR) representatives meet at NAL to discuss and propose the establishment of a

Universal Agricultural Thesaurus, merging the best features of AGROVOC and the CAB

Thesaurus and others.

1992 NAL releases the World List of Agricultural Serials (WLAS) computer database on CD-ROM

by SilverPlatter International, Inc.; it contain records for over 56,000 titles and annotations

indicating where each title is indexed and other information.

1993 NAL is selected to participate in the Library of Congress's national coordinated cataloging

program.

July 1993 NAL celebrates its 3,000,000th AGRICOLA Record on July 12 with a program and reception

for NAL staff, USDA and other guests. Associates NAL presented a plaque commemorating the

occasion to the Library.

July 1993 NAL, CABI, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the German Centre for

Documentation and Information in Agriculture (ZADI), and other international organization

representatives met in Bonn, Germany, July 15-16, to sign the classification scheme for the

Unified Agricultural Thesaurus (UAT).

Oct. 1994 NAL participates in the InterCat Project of OCLC, a national effort to enhance access to

Internet resources by improving bibliographic control of this material.

Fall 1994 NAL contracts with Library Systems & Services, Inc. (LSSI) for a 5-year retrospective

conversion project in which more than 198,000 paper-based catalog records will be converted

into machine-readable form.

1998 NAL completes the 5-year project of retrospective conversion of paper-based catalog records

for monographs; NAL will retain the pre-1965 card catalog, which is moved to the stacks in

preparation for renovation of the 1st Floor in October.

2000 NAL creates a journal evaluation panel to review journals to be indexed in accordance with

revised criteria; it will meet 3 to 4 times per year.

June 1999 NAL receives the Oberly Award for Bibliography in the Agricultural Sciences "for continuous

and improved publication of AGRICOLA, the leading bibliographic source for agriculture."

Collection Development Milestones, 1982-2000

National Agricultural Library

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1984 NAL initiates the NAL/Land-Grant University State Agricultural Publications Program through

which the land-grant libraries acquire state agricultural, experiment station, and extension

service publications, process them, provide copies to NAL, provide full-level cataloging records

to NAL, and provide document delivery services from their copies. (AGRICOLA)

1984-1985 NAL and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) agree on veterinary science collection

responsibilities of the two libraries.

Feb. 1986 NAL revises its collection development policy to incorporate the acquisition of

machine-readable data files and microcomputer software for agriculturally-related subjects,

including general purpose software with agricultural applications. This new policy is based on a

year of experience in which FNIC gained recognition as a national center for food and nutrition

microcomputer software.

1987 NAL and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) publish a cooperative collection

development agreement in the area of human nutrition and related subjects, including collection

levels for each institution in 26 subcategories.

1988 NAL begins a systematic multi-year effort to verify the status of all exchange arrangements

which had increased to over 8,000 during the previous decade. NAL has always depended upon

a very active program of gifts and exchanges to augment the collection and ensure that

difficult-to-acquire publications from international sources were secured for the national

collection.

Sep. 1988 NAL publishes a complete revision of its collection development policy which defined the

scope and coverage of agricultural subjects in the national collection in terms of the Library of

Congress (LC) subject classification. The policy has been updated through issuance of addenda

with new guidelines for collecting CD-ROMs, computer software, and Internet resources.

Dec. 1988 NAL and NLM meet to develop cooperation in the area of biotechnology.

Oct. 1989 NAL, NLM, and LC issue their Biotechnology: Joint Collection Development Policy Statement.

1996 NAL, NLM, and LC complete an update of the joint collection development policy for coverage

of veterinary science and related subjects; NAL publishes the complete statement and related

collection development materials on its Web site.

1998 NAL publishes a complete revision of its collection development policy defining the scope and

coverage of agricultural subjects in the national collection. The policy has been updated through

issuance of addenda with new guidelines for collecting CD-ROMS, computer software, and

Internet resources.

Information Technology Milestones, 1982-2000

National Agricultural Library

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June 1986 NAL completes a 5-month investigation of the use of telefacsimile equipment for document

delivery. The evaluation study was funded by USDA, with contributions in kind by the 13

participating libraries that included 5 ARS regional research center libraries, 7 Land-grant

University libraries, and NAL. As a result NAL will accept requests by telefacsimile, but mail

requested materials unless the requestor requests telefacsimile as a rush response.

Sep. 1986 NAL awards a contract to Virginia Tech Library Systems, Inc. to install an integrated library

system incorporating the latest computer technology and software in the Library over a 2-year

period. The award follows two years of assessing needs, evaluating proposals, and testing

potential systems, and carries out Blue Ribbon Panel 1982 recommendations to acquire a

turnkey system. It includes modules to perform online reference and catalog retrieval, online

cataloging and catalog maintenance, serials control, online acquisitions processing, online

lending control, and preservation control. NAL has contracted for the development of a module

to support its indexing responsibility.

Nov. 1986 NAL demonstrates its prototype "expert system" on aquaculture at NAL Day II.

Nov. 1988 NAL holds a 2-day conference on The Application of Scanning Methodologies in Libraries as a

forum for disseminating information on state-of-the-art scanning technology and its uses in the

library and information field. Conference features more than a dozen speakers from institutions

around the U.S.

May 1989 NAL and North Carolina State University Libraries enter a cooperative agreement to test the

technical feasibility and administrative structures necessary to capture, transmit, and receive

machine-readable text at remote sites through the national electronic network.

Nov. 1990 NAL discontinues activities related to the Feed Composition Data Bank.

Nov. 1990 NAL participates in the inaugural USAIN National Conference, The Future of Agricultural

Information, November 7-9, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; speakers at the

3-day meeting, including several from NAL, covered a variety of topics related to agricultural

information and technology applications.

Jan. 1991 NAL completes the OCR study begun in March 1986, Optical Character Recognition by

Hand-held Device, in Lieu of Keyboarding Data for Indexing and Cataloging Records, and

publishes the findings.

1992 NAL announces that Windows Personal Librarian, developed by Personal Library Software,

Inc., of Rockville, MD, has been chosen as the retrieval software for the National Agricultural

Text Digitizing Project (NATDP); NAL, 45 land-grant libraries, and the Cargill Information

Center participated in the pilot text-digitizing program that began in 1987; the NATDP became

fully operational in 1991.

May 1994 NAL receives AGRICOLA Across the Internet-User Needs, the report of the study of user

considerations for NAL in planning to provide AGRICOLA access over the Internet, by Beth A.

Sandore, Assistant Automated Services Librarian at the University of Illinois Library at

Urbana-Champaign, who was a Visiting Scholar at NAL.

1994 NAL installs a satellite downlink system and a satellite dish; a primary expected use will be for

mandated Federal personnel training.

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1994 NAL's electronic bulletin board, ALF, is now accessible from the Internet; NAL begins to

include Agricultural Calendar listings on ALF.

Fall 1994 NAL inaugurates its "Gopher" which now gives access to NAL resources and services through

the Internet.

Dec. 1994 NAL meets with representatives of land-grant libraries and USDA agencies to further

development of AgNIC, the Agricultural Network Information Center.

April 1995 NAL's World Wide Web server is officially online April 19, making the NAL Home Page

available to the world via the Internet; most of the Library's branches and information centers

create establish their own Web pages at the NAL site.

June 1995 NAL's WWW Home Page Prototype Committee issues its Final Report on June 9, containing

recommendations for maintaining and improving NAL's Web site.

March 1996 NAL's makes ISIS (the online public access catalog and journal article citation database)

available on its Web site.

Sep. 1996 NAL and participating libraries provide online reference services through AgNIC on the

Internet in a pilot project through May 1997; subjects included are: animal and plant sciences;

food and nutrition; rangeland management; rural information; and USDA agricultural economic

research and statistics.

March 1997 NAL, USDA agencies, and invited experts from government and academic institutions hold a

2-day meeting, USDA Digital Publications: Creating a Preservation Action Plan, March 3-4.

1997 NAL establishes initial procedures and standards for digital conversion of USDA

embrittled-paper publications, and digitized 19 volumes of the Journal of Agricultural Research

among others; NAL is placing these materials on the WWW.

Dec. 1997 NAL discontinues its Gopher, December 19.

Abraham Lincoln Building Milestones, 1982-2000

National Agricultural Library

Oct. 1985 NAL begins shifting about 87% of its 1.8 million-volume collection in the library stacks in

anticipation of integration of the 250,000-volume D.C. Branch collection of economics and

social sciences materials related to agriculture. The rare book cage, oversized materials, and

other non-book and non-periodical collections are moved to the 13th Floor and consolidated

areas on other floors.

June 1986 NAL moves the D.C. Branch stack materials to space made for them in the Beltsville stacks,

including the area of compact shelving, June-September. The last box is unpacked and materials

shelved Nov. 25.

1991 Space and Facility Condition Studies completed--Identified space usage, building and

functional deficiencies totaling $16 million.

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1995-1999 Various infrastructure projects and 14th floor renovation completed.

1998 NAL establishes a core group to plan and implement 1st Floor renovation.

1999 1st Floor renovation completed.

April 2000 Grand re-opening and dedication of 1st floor--Ceremony held with Secretary of Agriculture Dan

Glickman, Deputy Secretary Richard Rominger, ARS Administrator Floyd Horn, and others

attending.

June 2000 NAL's energy savings performance contract begins with the lighting upgrade in the stacks,

replacing lights, timers, and other switches, June to July; work to convert the boilers to

dual-fuel takes place June to August; work on the chillers and multi-zone air handlers to make

them more efficient, June to October.

June 2000 NAL building named the Abraham Lincoln Building, with Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois,

Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, Deputy Secretary Richard Rominger, ARS

Administrator Floyd Horn, and Astronaut Kent Rominger as speakers at the ceremony and

reception.

Sep. 2000 NAL awards a design contract for renovation of the 5th Floor to convert it from offices to a

special collections stack area.

2001 Design of 5th floor renovation completed.

Go to Appendix D

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Appendix C

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix E

Return to Contents

Appendix D

USDA BLUE RIBBON PANEL ON NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL LIBRARY

NAL REVIEW & PLANNING AGENDA

PROPOSED QUESTIONS FOR PANEL'S LONG RANGE PLANNING

[with Panel member assignments as of October 26, 2000]

A) Vision of NAL in 2020?

 COMPELLING VISION OF THE FUTURE OF NAL IN THE YEAR 2020-

 What NAL WILL BE: What NAL WILL DO, HAVE DONE

 full group participation

A) SUCCINCT NEW NAL MISSION STATEMENT FOCUS = ONE SENTENCE

 full group participation

B) POLYOCULAR SITUATION ANALYSIS - CUSTOMER + PEER + STAFF SURVEYS

B) OBJECTIVE PROGRESS ASSESSMENT - KEY ACHIEVEMENTS OF 1990s

 Barbara Hutchinson, Jay Hirschman, Paula Kaufman, Winston Tabb, Martin Apple

C) CANDID ANALYSIS OF CURRENT NAL STRENGTHS

C) CANDID ANALYSIS OF CURRENT NAL WEAKNESSES

C) DEFINITION OF NAL'S ADVANTAGES OVER ANY ALTERNATIVES

 Barbara Hutchinson, Jay Hirschman, Paula Kaufman, Winston Tabb, Martin Apple

D) CHALLENGES & FUTURE THREATS TO NAL OR ITS LEADERSHIP

D) NAL LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES NEXT 20 YEARS e.g.: 24/7 AUTOMATION

D) DEFINING WHOM WE MUST SATISFY - WHO THEY ARE NOW & WHAT THEY VALUE NOW,

WHO THEY MAY BE & WHAT THEY MAY NEED AND VALUE IN 20 YEARS

 Philip Hudson, Austin Hoover, Martin Apple, Robert Willard

E) REVISITING MISSION SETTING 21ST CENTURY PRIORITIES, GOALS

 SET NEW 5 & 10 YEAR MEASURABLE GOALS (e.g. 99% CUSTOMERS RECEIVE RIGHT

 INFO SAME DAY)

 full group participation

F) FIVE BEST OPTIONS FOR NAL FUTURE STRATEGY - LEVERAGE FOCUS, ETC

F) THE MOST IMPORTANT NAL STRATEGY - BEST FOCUS/PATH OF OUR RESOURCES

F) KEY OPERATING PARAMETERS TO ENSURE SUCCESS

Appendix D

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 WHO MAKES WHAT DECISIONS? WHO IS ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT RESULTS? ETC

 full group participation

G) WHAT SHOULD BE OUR NEW, OPTIMIZED 21ST CENTURY ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE?

MATRIX? PROFESSIONAL BUREAUCRACY? ETC

 full group participation

H) WHO, HOW AND WHEN WILL WE [NAL] MONITOR & REPORT RESULTS?

H) HOW WE [NAL] WILL MEASURE, BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR OUR [NAL] RESULTS?

 William Delauder, Jane Coulter, Pearlie Reed

I) HOW WILL WE [NAL] ENSURE ADEQUATE RESOURCES EACH YR?

 WHAT PROCESSES WILL REGULARLY ENSURE NAL RECEIVES NEEDED GROWTH

RESOURCES?

 Larry Vanderhoef, Margrit Krewson, William Delauder, Pam André

I) WHEN AND HOW WILL WE [NAL] REVISE COURSE AS NEEDED TO ADAPT

 TO NEW CUSTOMERS, NEW NEEDS, AND NEW TECHNOLOGY?

 William Delauder, Jane Coulter, Pearlie Reed, Pam André

CONCLUSIONS BY THE FINAL MEETING OF PANEL

WE SHOULD REACH AGREEMENT* ON WHY NAL MUST EXIST

WHERE NAL IS GOING, AND HOW NAL WILL GET THERE

*AGREEMENT=3/4 OF US AGREE

Go to Appendix E

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Appendix D

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix F

Return to Contents

Appendix E

From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access

[wais.access.gpo.gov]

[Laws in effect as of January 2, 2001]

[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between

January 2, 2001 and January 28, 2002]

[CITE: 7USC3125a]

TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE

CHAPTER 64 AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, EXTENSION, AND TEACHING

SUBCHAPTER II--COORDINATION AND PLANNING OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH,

EXTENSION, AND TEACHING

§ 3125a. National Agricultural Library

Purpose. The purpose of this section is to consolidate and expand the statutory authority for the operation

of the library of the Department of Agriculture established pursuant to section 2201 of this title as the

primary agricultural information resource of the United States.

a. 

Establishment. There is established in the Department of Agriculture the National Agricultural Library to

serve as the primary agricultural information resource of the United States.

b. 

Director. The Secretary shall appoint a Director for the National Agricultural Library who shall be subject

to the direction of the Secretary.

c. 

Functions of Director

The Director may--

acquire, preserve, and manage information and information products and services in all phases of

agriculture and allied sciences;

1. 

organize agricultural information and information products and services by cataloging, indexing,

bibliographical listing, and other appropriate techniques;

2. 

3. provide agricultural information and information products and services to agencies of the

d. 

Appendix E

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Department of Agriculture and the Federal Government, public and private organizations, and

individuals, within the United States and internationally;

plan for, coordinate, and evaluate information and library needs related to agricultural research and

education;

4. 

cooperate with and coordinate efforts among agricultural college and university libraries, in

conjunction with private industry and other agricultural library and information centers, toward the

development of a comprehensive agricultural library and information network; and

5. 

coordinate the development of specialized subject information services among the agricultural and

library information communities.

6. 

Library products and services

The Director may--

1. make copies of the bibliographies prepared by the National Agricultural Library;

2. make microforms and other reproductions of books and other library materials in the Department;

3. provide any other library and information products and services; and

sell those products and services at such prices (not less than the estimated total cost of disseminating

the products and services) as the Secretary may determine appropriate.

4. 

e. 

Receipts. Funds received from sales under subsection (e) of this section shall be deposited in the Treasury

of the United States to the credit of the applicable appropriation and shall remain available until expended.

f. 

Agreements.

In general. The Director may enter into agreement with, and receive funds from any State, and other

political subdivision, organization, business, or individual for the purpose of conducting activities to

carry out this section.

1. 

Funds. Funds received under this subsection for payments for library products and services or other

activities shall be deposited to the miscellaneous contributed fund account, and shall remain

available until expended.

2. 

g. 

Authorization of appropriations. There are authorized to be appropriated for each fiscal year such sums as

may be necessary to carry out this section.

h. 

(Pub. L. 95-113, title XIV, Sec. 1410A, as added Pub. L. 101-624, title XVI, Sec. 1606(a), Nov. 28, 1990, 104

Stat. 3714.)

Appendix E

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From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access

[wais.access.gpo.gov]

[Laws in effect as of January 2, 2001]

[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between

January 2, 2001 and January 28, 2002]

[CITE: 7USC3125b]

TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE

CHAPTER 64--AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, EXTENSION, AND TEACHING

SUBCHAPTER II--COORDINATION AND PLANNING OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH,

EXTENSION, AND TEACHING

§ 3125b. National Rural Information Center Clearinghouse

Establishment. The Secretary shall establish, within the National Agricultural Library, in coordination with

the Extension Service, a National Rural Information Center Clearinghouse (in this section referred to as the

``Clearinghouse'') to perform the functions specified in subsection (b) of this section.

a. 

Functions. The Clearinghouse shall provide and distribute information and data to any industry,

organization, or Federal, State, or local government entity, on request, about programs and services

provided by Federal, State, and local agencies and private nonprofit organizations and institutions under

which individuals residing in, or organizations and State and local government entities operating in, a rural

area may be eligible for any kind of assistance, including job training, education, health care, and economic

development assistance, and emotional and financial counseling. To the extent possible, the National

Agricultural Library shall use telecommunications technology to disseminate information to rural areas.

b. 

Federal agencies. On request of the Secretary, the head of a Federal agency shall provide to the

Clearinghouse such information as the Secretary may request to enable the Clearinghouse to carry out

subsection (b) of this section.

c. 

State and local agencies and nonprofit organizations. The Secretary shall request State and local

governments and private nonprofit organizations and institutions to provide to the Clearinghouse such

information as such agencies and organizations may have about any program or service of such agencies,

organizations, and institutions under which individuals residing in a rural area may be eligible for any kind

of assistance, including job training, educational, health care, and economic development assistance, and

emotional and financial counseling.

d. 

Limitation on authorization of appropriations. To carry out this section, there are authorized to be

appropriated $500,000 for each of the fiscal years 1991 through 2002.

e. 

(Pub. L. 101-624, title XXIII, Sec. 2381, Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 4049; Pub. L. 104-127, title VIII, Sec. 842,

Apr. 4, 1996, 110 Stat. 1170; Pub. L. 105-185, title III, Sec. 301(b)(3), June 23, 1998, 112 Stat. 563.)

Appendix E

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Codification

Section was enacted as part of the Rural Economic Development Act of 1990, and also as part of the Food,

Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990, and not as part of the National Agricultural Research,

Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 which comprises this chapter.

Amendments

1998--Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 105-185 substituted ``2002'' for ``1997''.

1996--Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 104-127 substituted ``1997'' for ``1995''.

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in section 917 of this title.

NOTE: This file replaces a copyright protected print version from the original report. The content of this file is

identical to the content of the print version.

Go to Appendix F

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Appendix E

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix G

Return to Contents

Appendix F

USDA BLUE RIBBON PANEL FOR ASSESSMENT OF THE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL LIBRARY

Draft Report from the Committee for Items B and C

April 6, 2001

"The NAL should be refurbished so it once again becomes the world preeminent agricultural library. This entails

subscribing to more journals, forging greater cooperation with the land-grant universities, having more service

personnel to serve the nations science community, and making greater and greater amounts of holdings and assets

(databases) more friendly to remote access. It appears to be under-funded..."

[Quote from survey respondent]

Highlights of NAL Achievements in 1980s and 1990s (for possible use in section 2, Progress since 1982)

 The 1982 Panel, while concluding that NAL is a major national resource which must be preserved,

made a number of recommendations for improvement. Appendix B provides a complete list of those

recommendations and the response to them made by NAL administration and staff. In addition, Appendix

C provides a comprehensive list of NAL milestones since 1982 organized into categories: (1) legislative

and administrative, (2) collection building, (3) agricultural information access, (4) bibliographic services,

(5) collection development, (6) information technology, and (7) Abraham Lincoln Building. The following

highlights some of the more significant achievements taken from these two documents and from a partial

list compiled by members of a Panel committee.

 Administratively, NAL revised its mission, values, and vision statements in 1994 as part of an

ongoing strategic planning process. It has made concerted and valiant efforts to heighten its visibility

through brochures, tours, exhibits, videotapes, and journal articles, and has made numerous attempts to

establish an Advisory Council to assist with long-range planning and policy formulation. Reorganizations

and staffing adjustments were made to streamline services and to better delineate USDA and national

library functions. In addition, diverse funding options have been initiated through increases in user fees,

leasing arrangements, and the use of contractors for certain activities.

 NAL has also worked to develop its collection and resources both in terms of fulfilling its promise as

a national library for the entire agriculture community and as a specific resource for USDA’s programs and

agencies. This has included the acquisition of significant special collections in a variety of formats, such as

materials on agent orange and historical USDA documents and multimedia. In addition, NAL has

I. 

Appendix F

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coordinated with NLM and LC on collection development policies for related areas, leading to a 1996 joint

collection development policy for veterinary science and related subjects. NAL also joined several national

cataloging programs and became an authority for establishing and verifying the names of agricultural

organizations.

 Another of the 1982 recommendations specified a more active role for NAL in international

information activities. This led to close involvement with the International Association of Agricultural

Information Specialists (IAALD), the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research

(CGIAR), and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and its AGRIS database, on matters of

coordination and cooperation. NAL also sponsored and participated in a series of U.S./Central European

Agricultural Library Roundtables, and recently signed an agreement with the Biblioteca Central Magna of

the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, to enhance access to agricultural and related

information.

 Previous recommendations also focused on the need for a national agricultural information network

for resource sharing, timely processing of information, and equality of access. This resulted in NAL and

representatives from land-grant university libraries forming the United States Agricultural Information

Network (USAIN) in 1988. Through USAIN, NAL joined with other land-grant libraries in a National

Preservation Program for Agricultural Literature funded by grants from the National Endowment for the

Humanities. NAL also has cooperated with NASULGC to advance support of agriculture libraries.

Drawing on these collaborative efforts was the 1995 establishment of another NAL and land-grant

collaboration, the Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC). Although not yet fully realized, the

AgNIC initiative is a discipline-specific, distributed network on the Internet envisioned ultimately as a

gateway to centers of excellence in agricultural information. It currently offers 28 subject-specific sites on

the World Wide Web.

 A significant technology achievement was the National Agricultural Text Digitizing Project

(NATDP) which resulted in the production of a series of widely distributed CD-ROM products for

agricultural research (aquaculture, acid rain, agent orange, food irradiation, and the Agronomy Journal).

NAL also has been active in developing multimedia resources, and has made databases, directories, and

other resources available over the Internet. In addition, NAL has developed specialized web-based

Information Centers which provide in-depth resources and reference services on such subjects as:

alternative farming systems, animal welfare, food and nutrition, food safety, rural information, technology

transfer, water quality.

Polyocular Perspectives

Customer and Staff Survey Methods (for Section 4, Methods

 Under the auspices of the U.S. Agricultural Information Network (USAIN) and in support of

the Panel’s program review efforts, a customer service survey was conducted in December 2000 and

the first part of January 2001. This survey was an attempt to touch the pulse of the NAL’s present

and future customers to gain input on its current programs and services and to help in determining

future directions. Five questionnaires were developed and distributed to USDA personnel through a

variety of NAL customer listservs and to other related scientists affiliated with the Council of

Scientific Society Presidents. In addition, agriculture and veterinary science librarians were sent

questionnaires through their respective listservs, as were library directors at land-grant universities.

Extension personnel were contacted by way of a Cooperative Extension Service (CES) Directors

listserv and through a CES State Specialist listserv. Questionnaires also were distributed to NAL

on-site users at both the Beltsville and D.C. locations. Finally, NAL staff members were surveyed.

A. 

II. 

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The total number of returned questionnaires was 739, with an additional 53 from NAL staff

members. An analysis of the general survey responses and those of the NAL staff are included in

Section 5 of this report.

Summary of NAL Customer Survey Results (for use in Section 5, Findings)

 Questions in the survey were open-ended, giving respondents the opportunity to describe

information gathering activities in their own words. As a result, answers had to be reviewed carefully

to identify similar elements that could be categorized and quantified for analysis. Overall, the general

survey, largely of USDA employees, reveals a widespread use of electronic services for finding

information. In response to the question of where information is most often obtained, 28 percent

identified the World Wide Web, 25 percent noted either NAL or AGRICOLA, and another 23

percent specified university, agency, or other libraries. What we do not know from these responses is

whether users went to the web or other libraries to search AGRICOLA or to use other NAL online

services. This suggests there is some probability that the actual number for AGRICOLA use could be

much higher than first noted. In this regard, the most used NAL service was identified by 26 percent

as AGRICOLA, closely followed at 24 percent by document delivery; whereas, the most critical

service was considered to be document delivery at 25 percent, and AGRICOLA at 14 percent.

However, if all electronic-related access points were combined with the AGRICOLA percentage,

such as NAL web sites, AgNIC, and CALS, the overall number for electronic access would be much

greater than any other service, including document delivery. What seems clear from the survey is

that while AGRICOLA is by far the most used and visible electronic service, on a regular basis

customers do use many other NAL services from document delivery to the various NAL web sites.

This suggests a need to continue to develop and maintain a variety of delivery systems and customer

services if NAL is to meet the full range of its users information needs.

 Looking into the future, the survey asked for a description of the types of information services

they would like to have in 2010. In this the respondents were in the most agreement: nearly 75

percent responded with examples of electronic services such as online journals and journal articles,

and specialized and linked databases with expanded search capabilities. Others mentioned faster

services in general, followed by those who wanted to see broader and deeper development of

collections. Similar response results were given to the question about what new or improved NAL

service would be desirable. Greater electronic access to information and resources, particularly

online journals and improved databases, was listed by 65 percent of the respondents, with another 16

percent requesting broad collection development activities. Responses to the question about what

other library or library system is useful to them provides insights into potential models for future

developments. The National Library of Medicine, and particularly PubMed and Medline, was most

often mentioned by respondents as the system to emulate. The following quotes illustrate user

interests:

 Visions of the future: "A fully integrated linkage to every major university library system

worldwide so that resources can be downloaded or sent electronically to where they are needed"...."a

perfect information gathering world would be...to find relevant citations on any topic by searching in

one mega-database"..."upgrade AGRICOLA...[with]...abstracts for more entries, sources of

documents clearly indicated, and back it up with a service that leads the users more reliably to the

indexed information"..."impeccable indexing and online links to government publications – what

more could we ask?" and finally a prophetic statement for the AgNIC system:

"If NAL wants to provide national agricultural information services by 2010, certainly they need to

go to ‘the people’ to find out what information they are seeking. Then NAL must create or compile

B. 

Appendix F

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content, not just indexing...I find our users, faculty and students... [and] the general public,

increasingly less willing to wade through pieces of the puzzle. They want ‘packages’: mosquito

eradication in wetlands or farm ponds...can NAL become a provider of information packages related

to agriculture instead of ‘just’ indexing? Can it become a gateway to information being churned out

by its own as well as other agencies?"

Summary of NAL Staff Survey

 The 53 NAL staff members who responded to the survey were employed in either public

service, information systems development, or library administration. A majority of the respondents

considered a knowledgeable and dedicated staff as a major strength of NAL. This was followed by a

nearly even split between collections and electronic access points, such as AGRICOLA. Weaknesses

were largely grouped around management issues, budget problems, and outdated databases. Critical

services were identified as reference services, access to electronic services (web AGRICOLA,

AgNIC, and NAL’s web site), and document delivery. Suggestions for improvements included a

variety of electronic services beginning with both content and web accessibility enhancements of

AGRICOLA, and followed by various types of web site development. The greatest barrier was seen

as budget deficiencies, followed by staff shortages and a lack of strong leadership. Of particular

importance here are staff responses in the area of service development as they correspond closely

with those outlined by respondents to the survey, suggesting a shared vision for future services.

C. 

Summary of Library Directors Survey Response

 Library directors also mirrored many of the responses made by general NAL users and NAL

staff members. They saw the strengths of NAL as primarily its collections, including historical

archiving, but also noted online services, including AGRICOLA and AgNIC. The main weakness

was seen as the lack of adequate funding for its key functions, a similar lack of visibility, poor

placement in USDA, and a location outside the power corridor. All of the library directors were

familiar with or had used the AGRICOLA database. In addition, the NAL web site was widely

known, as was the document delivery service, NAL’s historical collections, AgNIC, and the online

reference service. Similarly, the most important NAL service was identified as either AGRICOLA

specifically or other databases that provide access to all important agricultural information. This was

followed by those who identified preservation activities and access to hard-to-get materials, and

those who listed document delivery as the most important service.

 Of the nine library directors who responded to the question asking for suggestions for new and

improved services, the majority focused on greater digital access to information, full-text, document

delivery, and AGRICOLA links. Also, similar to many of the customers surveyed, there was an

interest in expanding the subjects covered by NAL. This line of thinking was consistent in the

responses to the question on how information services were envisioned for the year 2010. Many

offered ideas for providing digital access to all types of information, particularly full-text materials.

Included were suggestions to greatly expand and upgrade AGRICOLA and AgNIC. Other

suggestions were to build NAL’s coverage in related fields such as the environment, to improve

visibility, and to expand reference services. One revealing quote outlined "a perfect information

gathering world from the client’s perspective...: 1) to find relevant citations on any topic by

searching in one mega database; 2) the citation/abstract links directly to the article or book cited; and

3) if the book or article has interesting references or footnotes, they link directly to the items cited."

D. 

E. Summary of USAIN AGRICOLA Survey

Appendix F

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 The U.S. Agricultural Information Network (USAIN) AGRICOLA Interest Group conducted a

survey of AGRICOLA users in February 1999. Most survey respondents rated AGRICOLA

generally an excellent to very good database. Based on the feedback received, the Interest Group

suggested NAL provides an extremely important function by producing AGRICOLA and wanted to

see an even greater commitment of staff and resources to it. Areas identified for emphasis in the

survey and through AGRICOLA Interest Group discussions were to: (1) include abstracts in as many

records as possible; (2) include indexing for as many book chapters as possible; (3) index all USDA

publications including regional publications which are sometimes missed; (4) facilitate the inclusion

of state experiment station and extension publications; (5) give special consideration to the

importance of timeliness in indexing all materials; and, (6) improve the interface and searching

capabilities of the free internet version of AGRICOLA.

Overall Impressions from Survey Results

 The results of these surveys make a strong case for the continuation of NAL’s role not only as

a library service for USDA personnel, but as the centerpiece of a dynamic national agricultural

information system. This system would draw on innovative technologies to directly link users to

quality content (abstracts, full-text, data, and information packages) in all areas related to the

sustainable management of natural resources in the support of agricultural production. Included

would be a complementary mix of services including a greatly enhanced AGRICOLA database, a

series of comprehensive and topical web sites, 24/7 document delivery, and all interconnected

through a powerful search interface providing users with the closest approximation possible to a

"one-stop-shopping" reality. Responses from NAL staff members demonstrate they understand these

customer needs and have the same interest in providing the high-quality services necessary to meet

those needs. What is lacking are the human and financial resources, and the explicit support of

USDA, to do so.

F. 

Analysis of NAL Strengths and Weaknesses as Identified by Survey Respondents and Panel Members (for

use in Section 5, Findings)

 The responses to the customer service survey questions regarding NAL strengths and weaknesses

were similar to the impressions gained by Panel members through this review process (See also Appendix

???). Major areas of strength include extensive and unique collections, the AGRICOLA database, and

dedicated staff members. Specifically, NAL has the largest collection of agricultural information in the

world, numbering more than 3.5 million items and including 20,000 journal titles. The AGRICOLA

database now includes more than 3.6 million records and is available free-of-charge via the World Wide

Web. NAL staff members actively participate in national preservation activities for both print and digital

resources, and have taken the leadership in developing specialized information services such as the various

web-based information centers, and the collaborative AgNIC initiative. A technology plan was developed

in 2000 to plot a strategy for enhancing information technology and information management directions,

and a group of staff members are currently in the process of developing a visionary plan for using

state-of-the-art technologies to provide users with exactly what they want when they want it.

 However, there also were similarities in responses identifying perceived weaknesses. AGRICOLA

was at the top of both lists due to problems with timeliness, difficulties with the web interface, lack of

abstracts, and a need for broader content coverage. Both Panel members and users suggested NAL has not

kept up with new information technologies or with new directions in scientific research in terms of both

collection development and electronic access to such information. A lack of awareness of NAL services

and a need for greater publicity in general were mentioned by current NAL customers, while Panel

members also saw a need for greater overall visibility and for more effective collaborations within the

III. 

Appendix F

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research library community. Whereas both NAL users and Panel members agree that NAL offers valuable

services, Panel members identified more organizational weaknesses (lack of funds, advocacy groups, and

collaborative arrangements), while users understandably focused on weaknesses in products and services

(limitations of web accessibility and content, decreasing journal subscriptions, and collection gaps in

rapidly growing fields, such as biotechnology).

 Panel members also noted the cancellations of hundreds of journal titles, and the staff cutbacks, in

spite of increasing demands for greatly expanded services, particularly in the area of electronic access. The

lack of funding for new initiatives, and the general lack of external advocacy, vibrant partnerships, or a

visionary plan to guide the organization into the frontier of knowledge management, appears to have

affected staff morale. Although NAL has accomplished much since 1982, user needs have increased

exponentially and concurrently with revolutionary improvements in technology. There is a growing gap

between what is possible and the state of NAL programs and services.

NAL’s Advantages Over Any Alternatives (possibly add this to discussion section describing leadership

issues)

 NAL has a definite and defined set of natural constituents and collaborators/partners in this country's

agricultural (especially land-grant) libraries and it is well known among these constituent groups for the

range of resources and services it offers. Capitalizing on this advantage, NAL should play an aggressive

leadership role for this group. One example: develop a realistic, holistic preservation strategy for the

nation's agriculture literature, including state agricultural documents, extension documents, and the like --

in all original formats.

IV. 

Go to Appendix G

Return to Contents

|| Make Comments || webmaster@nal.usda.gov || Last Updated 13 August 2002 ||

Appendix F

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix H

Return to Contents

Appendix G

US Agricultural Information Network (USAIN)

Customer Service Survey

USAIN is seeking your input to help a USDA Blue Ribbon Panel make recommendations on the future

development of the US National Agricultural Library (NAL). This survey is entirely voluntary. You have been

suggested as a user or potential future user of the NAL. Your timely response will be greatly appreciated. Your

name and e-mail address will not be shared with anyone and will be deleted from our records as soon as the Blue

Ribbon Panel completes its report. Please complete this questionnaire and e-mail your response to Barbara

Hutchinson at barbarah@ag.arizona.edu by January 15, 2001.

QUESTION FOR ALL RESPONDENTS

How many times in the last year did you need to obtain information that was not readily available to you in

any area related to agriculture in order to complete a necessary task?

1. 

Please indicate subject areas in which you have searched for information in the past year: (for example:

traditional agriculture, alternative farming systems, animal and veterinary sciences, aquaculture,

biotechnology, crops, dietary supplements, food and nutrition, food safety, genomics, invasive species,

natural resources and the environment, plant sciences, rural information, social aspects of agriculture,

sustainable agriculture, and water quality.)

2. 

Where do you go to obtain the agricultural information you need? Please give the names of the library,

database, Web site, etc.

3. 

Describe what types of agriculture-related information and reference services and capabilities you would

like to see our nation have by the year 2010. Place an asterisk (*) next to those that you would personally

use. [Use more space as needed.]

4. 

Which information services available from any of the other three national libraries (Library of Congress,

National Library of Medicine, National Library of Education), or any other library system, do you find

most useful for your own needs?

5. 

Appendix G

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6. What is your job title and profession?

Which of the following best describes your frequency of use of NAL services?

___ I have never used NAL [skip to question 13]

___ I have not used NAL in the past 3 years

___ I used NAL less than one time per year over the past 3 years

___ I use NAL 1-10 times a year

___ I use NAL 11-20 times a year

___ I use NAL more than 20 times a year

FOR THOSE WITH AT LEAST SOME EXPERIENCE USING NAL:

7. 

Specifically which NAL services have you used in the last year? [check all that apply]

___AGRICOLA

 please specify format (Web, CD, etc.)_______________________

___ Document Delivery

___ NAL Web Site [http://www.nal.usda.gov/]

___ Information Center Web Sites (Food and Nutrition, Sustainable Agriculture,

 Animal Welfare, Plant Genetics, Technology Transfer, Rural Information)

 please specify which one:_________________________________

___ On-site use of NAL collections

___ Historical collections

___ Online reference service

___ AgNIC [http://www.agnic.org/]

Other (specify):___________

8. 

9. What do you consider the most important or critical service currently provided by NAL?

10. What new or improved service would you like NAL to provide in the future?

What do you consider the STRENGTHS of the NAL? List all that come to mind. [Use more space as

needed.]

11. 

What do you consider the WEAKNESSES of the NAL? List all that come to mind. [Use more space as

needed.]

12. 

Appendix G

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Please check the box that best describes your place of employment:

___ USDA

___ Other Federal government

___ State government

___ Local government

___ Land grant University or 1890 university/college

___ Other university or college

___ Private industry

___ Non-profit organization

___ Professional association

13. 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP – YOUR INPUT IS MUCH APPRECIATED!

#####

PLEASE E-MAIL YOUR RESPONSE TO :

Barbara Hutchinson, Director,

Arid Lands Information Center

University of Arizona

E-mail: barbarah@ag.arizona.edu

Go to Appendix H

Return to Contents

|| Make Comments || webmaster@nal.usda.gov || Last Updated 13 August 2002 ||

Appendix G

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix I

Return to Contents

Appendix H

Library Operation: NLM and NIH Budget Analysis

Background

The National Library of Medicine began in the early 1800's under the Department of the Army as the Library of

the Surgeon General. In the 1930-40's the Library was transferred to the Public Health Service. In 1956

Senators Lister Hill and John F. Kennedy-sponsored legislation to set up a National Library of Medicine (NLM)

and a regional health science libraries network. NLM's principal mission is to serve as an archive for biomedical

research and to provide broad public access to this literature through the creation of databases. In general NLM

does not respond to the needs of individuals.

The NIH Library serves the needs of the researchers and administrators of the National Institutes of Health and

is itself a member of the NLM regional health science library network. The NIH campus in Bethesda includes a

large hospital for clinical studies. Practicing physicians and researchers at the hospital have critical need for

customized information research services not provided by NLM. The NIH Library was established to meet the

needs for the hospital as well as the local research community. The NIH Library provides individualized

services including assistance in tracking and monitoring grant and contract work. In turn the NIH Library relies

on the information products and services provided by NLM such as the MEDLINE database.

The NIH Library until this year was considered and funded through an overhead mechanism. This year the

Library is being placed on a cost-recovery basis. Each Institute has been assessed a charge to support basic

library operations based upon number of institute staff and historic use for specialized services. In turn the NIH

Library this year has been assessed overhead charges and space charges. Until this year the Library provided

free-of-charge translation services, document delivery services, and self-service photocopying. Costs for these

services are now billed back to the originating Division/Branch. Director, Suzanne Grefsheim indicated that the

NIH Library budget has seen increases in the last few years. These increases were used to support the

procurement of more electronic resources, supported and requested by the users.

Budget Comparison Between NLM and NIH Library Services

Table 1. Comparison of Operations and Services

NLM Library NIH Library

Appendix H

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Library Services

Note: NLM training primarily for

librarians; NIH training primarily for

end-user.

● Cataloging

● Preservation

● Reference

● Databases

● Document Delivery

● Extramural Funding

● National Library Network

● Publications

● Training and Outreach

● Online Searching

● Research Updates

● Translation

● E-mail listserv

Custom services (journal

management, clinical liaison,

bibliographic databases, Web

pages)

● 

● Training

Hours of Operation

(Holiday and seasonal variation in

schedules)

*Reference assistance until 8:00 pm.

Mon 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Tue 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Wed 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Thu 8:30 am - 9:00 pm*

Fri 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Sat 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

Sun Closed

Mon - Thu

 7:45 am - 10:00 pm

Fri 7:45 am - 6:00 pm

Sat 8:30 am - 6:00 pm

Sun 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Reference (M-F 8:30 - 5:00)

Photo Copy Service (M-Th 8 - 8; F

8-6; S 10 - 5; Su 1- 5)

Reference Services

in FY 2000

*NLM has a single point to process

requests, the total includes enquires

about products and services.

Total:* 114,427

Onsite 51,456

Remote 62,871

Circulation**

Onsite 363,780

ILL 390,574

**Circulation of Documents and

Books

Total: 44,328

Information Desk

(Reference): 12,617

Circulation Desk Information

Requests

(Call Number Look-up; availability

of journals, etc.)

 31,711

Materials Budget

*FY 00 Budget

**Projected FY 01 budget;

Total:* $5,370,797

Serials 4,374,230

Books 542,659

Non-Print 161,305

Historical 292,603

Non-Print does not include licencing

access to secondary databases. NLM

plans to increase licencing for more

electronic materials in FY 01.

Total:** $3,000,000

Serials 1,800,000

Books 200,000

Non-Print 1,000,000

Non-Print category includes

electronic journal subscriptions and

databases.

Customer Base Health care providers,

researchers, scholars, and

students

● 

librarians and information

specialists

● 

historians of medicine and

science

● 

● general public

NIH library services are only

available to current NIH employees

Primary audience 6-8,000 currently

employed physicians and Ph.D.

researchers.

Appendix H

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Staffing

*Staffing figures reported for NLM's

Division of Library Operations only.

There is a small discrepancy between

the total FTE and the numbers

reported for individual sections. The

281.46 total is the accurate figure.

*Total: 281.46 FTE

Acquire, Organize, Preserve

Biomedical Information

[Equivalent to NAL TSD,

Preservation, and Special

Collections] = 174.6

● 

Provide Access to Biomedical

Information [Equiv. to NAL

PSD] = 83.3

● 

Increase Awareness & Use of

NLM Services Among Health

Professionals = 10

● 

Increase Awareness & Use of

NLM Services Among the

Public = 6.31

● 

Strengthen the National

Network of Libraries of

Medicine = 3.6

● 

Further Medical Informatics

Research = 3.6

● 

Total: 56 FTE

Federal Positions

● Translators = 2

Information & Education Srvcs

[Equivalent to NAL PSD,

IRSB -- nearly all professional

level] = 20

● 

Collection Organization &

Management [Equiv. to NAL

TSD -- 4 librarians] = 8

● 

Information Delivery [Equiv.

to NAL PSD, DDSB -- 1

librarian] = 18

● 

● Administrative Staff = 3

Systems [Equiv. to NAL ISD

-- 3 computer specialists and 2

in-training] = 5

● 

20 Contract Employees:

photocopying services, shelving,

some pulling, and maintaining the

self-service photocopy center

Total Budget

Projected for FY 01

Library Operations:

$56,752,000

Total NLM:

$230,135,000

$9,500,000 (includes budget for

overhead and space charges ~

$850,000)

Budget Comparison: NAL and NLM, Division of Library Operations

Table 2 outlines NLM's organizational structure. The column "Equiv. To NAL" will have a check mark if the

NLM entity has a counterpart at NAL. Within the organizational structure of NLM the Division of Library

Operations most closely approximates the services and functions of the National Agricultural Library.

Chart 1 tracks the % Change in NLM's Division of Library Operations budget between 1992 and 2001. The

average percent change was 7.6% increase/year with a range of 1.3 to 18.1%. {Percent change = [(Budget total

year 2 - Budget total year 1)/Budget total year 2] * 100}

Chart 2 provides information about the relative size and trend of the NLM's Division of Library Operations

budget relative to the overall NLM budget. The last column in Table 2, $'s in LO Budget will have a check

mark if the budget information for that division/branch has been included Library Operations Budget in the

accompanying chart.

Finally, Chart 3 provides direct budget comparison between NLM's Division of Library Operations and the

NAL budget for the last ten years.

Table 2. Comparison of NLM and NAL Organizational Structure

Appendix H

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Organizational Unit

Equiv.To

NAL

$'s in

LO Budget

Office of the Director Yes No

Advisory Body: NLM Board of Regents No No

Office of Administration Yes No

Office of Communications and Public Liaison Yes No

Office of Health Information Program Development No No

Library Divisions

Division of Extramural Programs No No

Advisory Body: Biomedical Library Review Com. No No

Biomedical Information Support Branch No No

International Programs Branch No No

Office of Program Planning and Evaluation No No

Division of Library Operations Yes Yes

Advisory Body: NLM Literature Selection Technical

 Review Committee No Yes

Bibliographic Services Division Yes Yes

Index Section Yes Yes

Medlars Management Section Yes Yes

History of Medicine Division Yes Yes

Medical Subject Headings Section Yes Yes

National Information Center on Health Services

 Research No Yes

National Network Office No Yes

Public Services Division Yes Yes

Collection Access Section Yes Yes

Preservation and Collection Management Yes Yes

Reference Section Yes Yes

Technical Services Division Yes Yes

Cataloging Section Yes Yes

Selection and Acquisition Section Yes Yes

Serials Records Section Yes Yes

Division of Specialized Information Services No No

Biomedical Information Services Branch No No

Biomedical Files Implementation Branch No No

Office of Outreach and Special Populations No No

Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical

 Communications No No

Appendix H

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Advisory Body: LHNCBC Board of Scientific

 Counselors No No

Audiovisual Program Development Branch No No

Cognitive Science Branch No No

Communications Engineering Branch No No

Computer Science Branch No No

Office of High Performance Computing and

 Communications No No

National Center for Biotechnology Information No No

Advisory Body: NCBI Board of Scientific Counselors No No

Basic Research Branch No No

Information Engineering Branch No No

Information Resources Branch No No

Office of Computer & Communications Systems Yes No

System Technology Branch Yes No

Application Branch Yes No

Note: There is no comparable function at NLM for the customized individual reference services to special

audiences provided by the Information Centers at the National Agricultural Library.

Go to Appendix I

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Appendix H

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix J

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Appendix I

NAL, NLM, and LC Budget Increases

Comparison of National Agricutural Library, National Library of Medicine and the Library of Congress Budget.

Year

NAL

Congressional

Appropriation

(000)

Increase/

Decrease

(000)

NLM

(000)

Increase/

Decrease

(000)

LC

(000)

Increase/

Decrease

(000)

1990 $14,676

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1991 $16,798 $2,122 $91,182

1992 $17,715 $917 $98,937 $7,755

1993 $17,715 $0 $103,496 $4,559

1994 $18,155 $440 $117,783 $14,287

1995 $18,307 $152 $127,723 $9,940

1996 $19,464 $1,157 $139,111 $11,388 $261,497

1997 $19,319 ($145) $150,329 $11,218 $265,853 $4,356

1998 $19,208 ($111) $160,516 $10,187 $277,775 $11,922

1999 $19,948 $740 $181,014 $20,498 $279,645 $1,870

2000 $20,050 $102 $213,730 $32,716 $308,628 $28,983

2001 $20,359 $309 $250,000 $36,270

*Final calculation of FY 2001 budget has not yet been completed.

 FY 2001 NLM figure is an estimate.

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Appendix J

Some sample quotes from selected questions

Question 4: Describe what types of agricultural-related information and reference services you would like to see

our nation have by the year 2010.

Ever watch Star Trek? That's what I want.

AGRICOLA just does not cover everything I need.

A comprehensive, consolidated search database of all available materials in the system.

A fully integrated linkage to every major university library system worldwide so that resources can be

downloaded or sent electronically to where they are needed. Don't try to become only a huge repository, since

you will never be able to keep up. Get the best technical talent to constantly find new sources of information and

ensure you have the ability to keep up with the technology. Hire contractors or term employees who are top

notch, don't hire staff whose skills will quickly become outdated, but who have to be retained, thus hindering your

ability to adjust to evolving demand.

A help guidebook at the computer workstation on using the databases.

A perfect information gathering world from the client’s perspective would be: to find relevant citations on any

topic by searching in one mega-database; the citation/abstract links directly to the article or book cited; and, if the

book or article has interesting references or footnotes, they link directly to the items cited.

If NAL wants to be the public's source of agricultural information, they will have to upgrade AGRICOLA so it is

actually usable by the public (abstracts for more entries, sources of documents clearly indicated) and back it up

with a service that leads the users more reliably to the indexed information. Even links to a map of depository

libraries would help.

The facsimiles that I have received have been mostly illegible.

...since the inception of the e-mail service, the quality of search results has gone way down. There are way too

many unproductive results from fields of study in which I have no interest at all. I have called and tried to get this

fixed, but to no avail. It seems like asking a lot, but to be able to have all literature databases under the same

searchable roof could speed things up tremendously. Otherwise, when one has an idea but needs to spend half a

day to get the answer instead of 30 minutes, the brainstorming is just not the same.

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I would like to see a directory of what services and informational sites are available.

I understand there is some consideration being given to closing the DC reference center at the USDA facility on

index. Please don’t do it! Please maintain this oasis of quiet, and real magazines, and real people to answer

questions. I go to the reference center several times a month to catch up on magazines like the futurist, ADA

journal, Demographics, and Alternative Agriculture.

I would like to get clear, clean reproductions of articles printed on both sides of the pages. Faxing articles results

in unreadable text, undecipherable graphs & tables, and 2 times the paper (and space) resources.

I would like to have a system where you entered a keyword or phrase and all the available research would be

accessible or at least information indicating which universities had the research in that area.

I would like to have on-line access to all of the major journals in a virtual library, this would also include

archived journal issues.

Need a PubMed type of bibliographic access for food and agriculture literatures.

The challenge for me is not having a single source indexing service to determine where the information is located.

Currently, there are gobs of information available, but it is scattered all over in individual repositories, many of

which are not linked together, making the accessing the information difficult at best.

NAL's web page is thorough and it clearly outlines the services that are available. Like all of the rest of us, they

have to come to grips with the fact that people are going online for their information, and they are not reading text

that they judge 'peripheral' to the information they are seeking. Information seekers MAY read some text if it

pops up when they need to know, but they are not going to search AGRICOLA, then go to the Library's site to

find out their document delivery policies. If NAL views AGRICOLA as its window they need to upgrade and

integrate the information they want to share through that site.

The National Agricultural library should be refurbished so it once again becomes the world preeminent

Agriculture library. This entails subscribing to more journals, forging greater cooperation with the land grant

universities, having more service personnel to serve the nations science community, and making greater and

greater amounts of the holdings and assets (databases) more friendly to remote access. It appears to be underfunded as is everything.

There needs to be a website with all types of information of existing books and journals of all major libraries. The

resources from these institutions needs to be pooled so anyone can access this by request through local and

interlibrary copying of the materials. If the publication is web-based, then there should be access to individual

users and paid for by the local institution. There could also be a way to pool the cost so that it is paid for per

usage by the local institutions.

We need to be able to obtain copies of journal articles on line without requesting them through an email request

and then waiting for them to be sent by mail or through Ariel electronic transmission We also need to be able to

search current journals online ad be able to read articles and then directly print them.

Question 5: Which information services available from any of the other 3 national libraries, or any other library

system, do you find most useful for your own needs?

I constantly use the DC Reference Center for information demands that I have to meet on short notice. I rarely

have the luxury of personally browsing through materials or databases, so rely on professional expertise to help

Appendix J

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guide me to the most fruitful resources. They also provide support services like calling to expedite my receiving a

requested article or book that I need to finish short deadline policy analyses.

I have found PubMed to be the most useful, the other sites have been quite slow and my searches seem to pull up

a lot of extra non-useful information that it takes too much time to sort through to make it worth the chance of

coming across something useful.

If NAL wants to provide national agricultural information services by 2010, certainly they need to go to 'the

people' to find out what information they are seeking. Then NAL must create or compile content, not just

indexing. The categories and specific information sought by 'the public' can be easily identified, at least

generally--track questions and information seeking behavior through cooperation with USAIN and IIALD

librarians. I find our users, faculty and students included in there with the general public, increasingly less willing

to wade through pieces of the puzzle. They want 'packages:' mosquito eradication in wetlands or farm ponds, how

to 'reforest' my backyard, find a recipe my grandmother used during the depression, to name just a day's 'catch.'

Can NAL become a provider of information packages related to agriculture instead of 'just' indexing? Can it

become a gateway to information being churned out by its own as well as other agencies? Is it realistic to expect

them to do so? I'm not sure, but you asked!

... retrospective indexing is certainly becoming more important, as folks are less willing to work hard to find

things that aren't in a computer. NAL has done some work in this area in the past, and sometimes older cites are

found in AGRICOLA. If more older USDA publications could be made available through indexing or full text,

that would be a great service for librarians who are becoming themselves less adept (as the old guard disappears)

in seeking and finding information that isn't online.

Quick response to requests for information and assistance. Innovative approaches to providing service to research

and practical inquiries. Attempts to include regional and local information in resources.

The equivalent of the ERIC document collection would be nice for “gray literature,” but I don’t see that

happening.

The obvious comparison is to ERIC, but I'm not sure that can be created retrospectively. Certainly ERIC has been

slightly more responsive to the shifting information paradigm, but I don't think they are a current model. The

NLM provides an incomparable database. Maybe that can't be created retrospectively either, but NAL could "go

forward" from 2000 and that would be a good contribution. Impeccable indexing and online links to government

publications (the modern equivalent of ERIC's microfiche)--what more could we ask?

Question 9: What do you consider the most important or critical service currently provided by NAL?

NAL should take a lead in providing agricultural information to the public, and should employ the latest search

and linking technology. NAL can be the starting point to other USDA sites which have publications.

DC Reference Center offers a multitude of concrete and tangible-as well as intangible- services to its patrons that

simply are not practical, cost-effective, or timely to attempt to provide online as a substitute option. If cost of the

DC Reference Center is an issue, then please investigate the possibility of "green booking" those expenses, on a

pro rata basis, to USDA's program agencies and staff offices, and KEEP the DC Reference Center!

Document delivery of materials listed in AGRICOLA that are not available anywhere else but NAL.

Sending copies of papers in older journals and sending older reference books... Service is great, and I am more

than satisfied. They have never failed me, even when I have requested the most obscure journals.

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Question 10: What new or improved service would you like NAL to provide in the future?

AGRICOLA database needs to be improved. If abstracts for the older literature could be provided it would be

great. Also, the web-based AGRICOLA needs to be improved. When I used it, there was no way to download the

information into a database manager like Procite or Reference Manager and then manipulate it to get it set to

output selected articles into a text file, use WordPerfect to format the format that the document delivery system

can take and email the request as an attachment.

If NAL had more funding to improve existing services, I think they should pay more attention to AGRICOLA. A

comprehensive, integrated database available to users worldwide as the web version is now, could be an

important source of information to many citizens, including farmers, foresters, [etc]... If this database also linked

outward to U.S. government publications and web-based Extension and Experiment Station publications it would

be a great public service as well as an important example for distribution of information. Even if AGRICOLA

linked ONLY to those publications of USDA, it would be a wonderful asset to information seekers.

NAL needs to provide training (online or in person) to scientists of all the services that they already offer,

especially to government employees. Possible locations of these training sessions could be RL meetings, and new

scientist orientation. Periodic electronic newsletter broadcast to ARS research scientists highlighting the services

that NAL does provide.

QUOTES FROM SURVEY RESPONDENTS

What do people want from an information system in the year 2010:

A fully integrated linkage to every major university library system worldwide so that resources can be

downloaded or sent electronically to where they are needed.

A perfect information gathering world from the client’s perspective would be: to find relevant citations on any

topic by searching in one mega- database; the citation/abstract links directly to the article or book cited; and, if

the book or article has interesting references or footnotes, they link directly to the items cited.

I would like to have on-line access to all of the major journals in a virtual library, this would also include

archived journal issues.

If NAL wants to provide national agricultural information services by 2010, certainly they need to go to 'the

people' to find out what information they are seeking. Then NAL must create or compile content, not just

indexing. The categories and specific information sought by 'the public' can be easily identified, at least

generally--track questions and information seeking behavior through cooperation with USAIN and IAALD

librarians. I find our users increasingly less willing to wade through pieces of the puzzle. They want 'packages: '

mosquito eradication in wetlands or farm ponds...' Can NAL become a provider of information packages related

to agriculture instead of 'just' indexing? Can it become a gateway to information being churned out by its own as

well as other agencies? Is it realistic to expect them to do so? I'm not sure, but you asked!

The National Agricultural library should be refurbished so it once again becomes the world preeminent

Agriculture library. This entails subscribing to more journals, forging greater cooperation with the land grant

universities, having more service personnel to serve the nations science community, and making greater and

greater amounts of the holdings and assets (databases) more friendly to remote access. It appears to be underfunded as is everything.

Appendix J

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Ever watch Star Trek? That's what I want.

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Appendix L

Technical Services Division

Performance Indicators

Activity

FY97

Number of

Items

FY98

Number of

Items

FY99

Number of

Items

FY00

Number of

Items

Articles indexed

 NAL 70,942 61,647 49,339 48,033

 Other 2,947 12,500 16,632 16,362

 Total 73,889 74,147 65,971 64,395

 Abstracts 25,334 27,898 25,122 20,637

Titles cataloged

 NAL 15,778 16,143 15,338 13,656

 Other 920 550 188 0

 Total 16,698 16,693 15,526 13,656

National Cataloging Programs

 NACO* headings 1,139 1,005 1,085 869

 CONSER** records 583 489 576 415

 BIBCO*** records 300 363 417 414

Acquisition Funds Expended

 Serials 1,966,459 1,941,125 2,229,050 1,926,438

 Monographs 287,986 308,617 248,771 347,304

 Total 2,254,445 2,249,742 2,477,821 2,281,508

Titles Sent to Cataloging

 Serials 571 532 804 559

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 Monographs 9,620 8,188 7,035 9,106

 Total 10,191 8,720 7,839 9,665

Serial volumes added 15,114 13,678 11,368 11,596

* NACO, CONSER and BIBCO are components of the international Program for Cooperative Cataloging.

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Appendix O

NAL Strategic Plan FY 1996 - 2001

Annual Operating Plan FY 1999

KRA #1: Information Access and Management

Definition: The goals, activities and measures under this key result area address how the NAL staff will provide

global leadership in the identification and implementation of new methods, techniques and technologies to

improve access to, and management of, agricultural information.

General Goal 1: Information Services

Create conditions by which NAL s diverse customers can efficiently and cost effectively

identify, locate and obtain desired information on agricultural topics.

● Load the retrospective shelflist records for pre-1966 monographs to the online public catalog.

● Plan and initiate the retrospective conversion on older serials records from the manual serials file.

Complete the loading of pre-1976 retrospective indexing records to the master AGRICOLA database at

NAL.

● 

● Implement Aegis help desk software and evaluate its utility for other NAL applications.

● Enable patrons to self-request materials form NAL's collection through ISIS.

Provide the information technology infrastructure to support the information management and

dissemination needs of NAL's Electronic Media Center, The Rural Information Center, the DC Reference

Center and NAL/s local area network.

● 

Implement both a Web-based self-search service and an SDI service based on Current Contents and

AGRICOLA for Current Awareness Literature Service (CALS) clients.

● 

Migrate NAL's current library management system to the latest release to ensure Y2K compliance and

provide native telnet capabilities.

● 

● Develop functional requirements for the acquisition of ane library management system.

Decrease throughput time for receipt processing of collection materials; increase the number of monographs

that are received and processed as "shelf-ready".

● 

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General Goal 2: Electronic access

Enhance access by contributing to the content, organization, access to, and retrieval of,

electronic materials.

Continue the integration of electronic resources into selection and cataloging operations by selecting

appropriate Ag databases in AgNIC for cataloging.

● 

● Implement a cataloging template and standard for metadata description of AgNIC resources.

● Develop guidelines and requirements for indexing and linking ARS electronic manuscripts and publications.

Implement URL link checking programs for the catalog and AGRICOLA database to identify automatically

any broken or invalid links.

● 

Migrate from CD-ROM to Web-based dissemination of electronic publications. Develop a streamlined

process for digitizing print resources and making them Web-accessible. Evaluate and incorporate SGML

technologies where appropriate.

● 

General Goal 3: Information products

Create products that support information needs in a changing cultural environment, and

make them widely available through electronic publishing, Internet access, and

state-of-the-art storage and retrieval methods.

General Goal 4: Outreach

Promote the availability and use of NAL s resources and information products.

General Goal 5: Training

Develop and implement programs that enable customers and staff to take full advantage

of current and emerging technologies and information systems.

KRA #2: Collection Enhancement and Preservation

Definition: The goals, activities and measures under this key result area address how the NAL staff will ensure

that agricultural information essential to the Nation is identified, acquired and preserved at the local, national and

international levels.

General Goal 6: Resources

Identify information resources relevant to new developments that facilitate the progress

of agriculture.

General Goal 7: Preservation

Preserve landmark works in agriculture and the fields related to agriculture to ensure the

legacy of NAL s collection as a national treasure.

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Continue the development of an electronic publishing/archiving process including provisions for metadata

creation and the long term storage and access to electronic publications.

● 

General Goal 8: Cooperation

Promote cooperative programs at the local, national and international levels to provide

coordinated collection development, access and preservation.

KRA #3: Human Resources Development and Utilization

Definition: The goals, activities and measures under this key result area address how the NAL staff will create an

organizational climate that produces a high performance work force by encouraging staff innovation,

communication and teamwork, and by implementing an integrated training and development program that focuses

on the continuous improvement of technical, professional, and interpersonal skills.

General Goal 9: Organizational climate

Use quality management principles to create a flexible and team-oriented environment

that is customer-driven and action oriented.

General Goal 10: Staff quality

Attract, develop and maintain a skilled, versatile, competent, and diverse work force for

the future.

Support and implement supervisory training for NAL supervisors, including writing skills training. Develop

position description and recruit for AGRICOLA Coordinator in Technical Services Division.

● 

General Goal 11: Facilities

Provide a physical environment that is safe, well-equipped, and conducive to

productivity.

● Upgrade NAL's existing remote access (dial-up) solution.

● Develop NAL Intranet.

Develop a security plan for NAL followed by the design and installation of a firewall to protect NAL

systems.

● 

● Continually improve the reliability and redundancy of all NAL servers.

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Appendix P

NAL Strategic Plan FY 1996 - 2001

Annual Operating Plan FY 2000

KRA #1: Information Access and Management

Definition: The goals, activities and measures under this key result area address how the NAL staff will provide

global leadership in the identification and implementation of new methods, techniques and technologies to

improve access to, and management of, agricultural information.

General Goal 1: Information Services

Create conditions by which NAL s diverse customers can efficiently and cost effectively

identify, locate and obtain desired information on agricultural topics.

Develop new techniques and improve existing systems for public services:

● Institute reference service policies based on new tiered-services structure.

Establish merged services information desk and electronic services center in the renovated NAL reading

room.

● 

● Participate in and pilot test Answer Base, part of the Library of Congress Digital Reference Initiative.

Identify a front-end system from which USDA users can generate electronic "requests for materials" from

the AGRICOLA database and ISIS and prepare a budget proposal.

● 

Expand and promote the use of ARIEL document delivery software to USDA customers and other high-use

groups.

● 

● Explore and recommend additional software packages to further expand electronic document delivery.

● Implement new User Fee Policy for document delivery.

Enhance automated data creation and dissemination:

Appendix P

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Complete a functional requirements document for acquisition of a new electronic library management

system; evaluate currently available commercial off-the-shelf systems; and develop acquisitions strategy for

the procurement of a new electronic library management system.

● 

Migrate NAL's current library system to latest release (VTLS 99). Develop migration plan for move from

existing proprietary ISIS system to one based on UNIX/Oracle system.

● 

Develop specifications for developing and implementing an improved online front-end data entry system for

the current VTLS Indexing subsystem.

● 

● Distribute to AGRICOLA licensees the retrospective conversion records added to NAL's database in 1999.

● Prototype SGML/XML/MARC/Dublin Core options for database development efforts.

Improve timeliness and coverage of AGRICOLA database:

Complete the loading of pre-1976 retrospective indexing records to the master AGRICOLA database at

NAL.

● 

Develop cooperative arrangements with other agencies and sources to obtain machine-readable

bibliographic records for loading to AGRICOLA.

● 

Obtain publisher-supplied citations and abstract data in digital form for indexed journals and ARS

publications; investigate building preliminary AGRICOLA citation records with externally created data..

● 

Streamline handling of indexed journals and establish special check-in unit to expedite handling of issues to

be indexed.

● 

General Goal 2: Electronic access

Enhance access by contributing to the content, organization, access to, and retrieval of,

electronic materials.

Continue to develop hierarchically arranged subject classification for organizing electronic resources in

agriculture and related subjects; modify and augment for use in the AgNIC gateway and the Research

Management Information System of ARS.

● 

Review, select and add to the online public catalog all appropriate electronic resources in the AgNIC

agriculture database file.

● 

Expand web-based access to NAL-provided abstracting and indexing databases for staff in the Beltsville

area.

● 

Expand collection of electronic journals available in NAL and provide desk-top access to the collection for

USDA staff in the Beltsville area.

● 

Continue to build content on the USDA History Collection Web Site through completion of the screwworm

eradication collection CD-ROM and Web Site.

● 

● Develop AgNIC gateway.

● Expand AgNIC.

General Goal 3: Information products

Create products that support information needs in a changing cultural environment, and

make them widely available through electronic publishing, Internet access, and

state-of-the-art storage and retrieval methods.

● Begin developing requirements for a food safety research database in conjunction with stakeholders.

● Develop/update publications in key areas and build content on Web Sites in support of AgNIC.

Appendix P

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Publish and distribute in print and Web formats a descriptive inventory of all NAL manuscript collections.

Identify full-text resources in water quality and other areas and create links to their respective citations in the

AGRICOLA database.

General Goal 4: Outreach

Promote the availability and use of NAL s resources and information products.

Raise awareness of NAL's special collections through feature articles in major scientific and library

journals.

● 

● Attend and exhibit at major scientific and library conferences.

● Coordinate and execute all activities relating to the NAL reopening event.

Develop and publish FAQ and/or technical notes to assist users with access and interpretation of

bibliographic records in the AGRICOLA Web gateway.

● 

General Goal 5: Training

Develop and implement programs that enable customers and staff to take full advantage

of current and emerging technologies and information systems.

Conduct an NAL orientation with AGRICOLA training for customers at Prairie View and possibly other

1890 land-grant institutions.

● 

Develop an online tutorial in searching for information on animal alternatives to help researchers comply

with the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act.

● 

KRA #2: Collection Enhancement and Preservation

Definition: The goals, activities and measures under this key result area address how the NAL staff will ensure

that agricultural information essential to the Nation is identified, acquired and preserved at the local, national and

international levels.

General Goal 6: Resources

Identify information resources relevant to new developments that facilitate the progress

of agriculture.

● Launch Web Sites in food safety research and invasive species.

Work with AgNIC alliance to identify collaborators to help support Web-based content building in

biotechnology and agricultural trade and marketing.

● 

General Goal 7: Preservation

Appendix P

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Preserve landmark works in agriculture and the fields related to agriculture to ensure the

legacy of NAL s collection as a national treasure.

Identify ways of staffing the preservation program and supporting Web development using existing

resources.

● 

Analyze results of Usage Study and propose any necessary modifications to NAL Collection Development

Policy for priorities in selection and preservation.

● 

General Goal 8: Cooperation

Promote cooperative programs at the local, national and international levels to provide

coordinated collection development, access and preservation.

Investigate opportunities for garnering additional funds and leveraging existing resources through

collaboration and joint ventures with other agencies.

● 

Continue working with the United State Agricultural Information Network to strengthen NAL's role as the

archive of key agricultural information resources preserved at the State level.

● 

KRA #3: Human Resources Development and Utilization

Definition: The goals, activities and measures under this key result area address how the NAL staff will create an

organizational climate that produces a high performance work force by encouraging staff innovation,

communication and teamwork, and by implementing an integrated training and development program that focuses

on the continuous improvement of technical, professional, and interpersonal skills.

General Goal 9: Organizational climate

Use quality management principles to create a flexible and team-oriented environment

that is customer-driven and action oriented.

● Finalize and implement the re-organization of the Technical Services Division around two branches.

Establish a second contracting mechanism to enable any NAL unit to quickly procure staff services needed

to respond to new initiatives and/or support key shortage areas.

● 

General Goal 10: Staff quality

Attract, develop and maintain a skilled, versatile, competent, and diverse work force for

the future.

Appendix P

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● Develop a staff diversity awareness program featuring a speaker or video.

● Analyze staff participation in recent training and meeting opportunities for trends.

Provide upward mobility opportunities for staff to compete for new positions supporting the operation of the

Main Reading Room.

● 

Actively recruit for the Coordinator of the Food Safety Research Information Office at national conferences,

library schools, university libraries, private sector special libraries and government facilities.

● 

● Address top priority concerns identified in the Talico Climate Survey.

General Goal 11: Facilities

Provide a physical environment that is safe, well-equipped, and conducive to

productivity.

● Complete all systems wiring modifications for renovated areas.

● Develop NAL Intranet.

● Coordinate and implement activities associated with reoccupation of renovated public areas.

Go to Appendix Q

Return to Contents

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Appendix P

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix R

Return to Contents

Appendix Q

NAL Strategic Plan FY 1996 - 2001

Annual Operating Plan FY 2001

KRA #1: Information Access and Management

Definition: The goals, activities and measures under this key result area address how the NAL staff will provide

global leadership in the identification and implementation of new methods, techniques and technologies to

improve access to, and management of, agricultural information.

General Goal 1: Information Services

Create conditions by which NAL s diverse customers can efficiently and cost effectively

identify, locate and obtain desired information on agricultural topics.

Develop new techniques and improve existing systems for public services:

Implement first phase of plan to deliver electronic information resources to the desktop of USDA

employees.

● 

Test and implement new front-end system for generating electronic "requests for materials" from the ISIS

library system.

● 

Test and implement the Relais system to expand user options for obtaining materials electronically form

NAL.

● 

● Conduct a survey of D.C. Reference Center users to better identify their information needs.

Restructure services at the D.C. Reference Center to expand connectivity to electronic resources and better

align user needs with NAL resources.

● 

Develop charge-back plans for USDA users in order to recover costs of document delivery and ensure the

future provision of the service.

● 

Conduct a review of all costs associated with information programs funded through interagency agreements

to assure appropriate cost recovery.

● 

● Complete a requirements statement for identifying a reference database and tracking system.

Enhance automated data creation and dissemination:

Appendix Q

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● Evaluate, select and procure a new electronic library management system.

● Implement an improved online front-end data entry system for the current VTLS Indexing subsystem.

Re-engineer the automated process for distributing AGRICOLA database updates; use this process to

distribute retrospective conversion records.

● 

Migrate NAL's current library system to latest release (VTLS 2001, HP OS version 6.0, etc) and streamline

VTLS transaction logging process.

● 

Lead effort to populate the central AgNIC database with metadata through internal and external

collaborations.

● 

Develop a database structure and mechanism for collaborative updating and maintenance of the calendar

portion of AgNIC.

● 

Improve timeliness and coverage of AGRICOLA database:

Complete the loading of pre-1979 retrospective indexing records to the master AGRICOLA database at

NAL.

● 

● Develop a more streamlined mechanism for loading both MARC and non-MARC records into ISIS.

Develop cooperative arrangements with other agencies and sources to obtain machine- readable

bibliographic records for loading to AGRICOLA.

● 

Develop or purchase software to convert publisher-supplied citations and abstract data in digital form for

indexed journals to preliminary AGRICOLA citation records.

● 

Streamline handling of indexed journals and establish special check-in unit to expedite handling of issues to

be indexed.

● 

General Goal 2: Electronic access

Enhance access by contributing to the content, organization, access to, and retrieval of,

electronic materials.

Continue to develop hierarchically arranged subject classification for organizing electronic resources in

agriculture and related subjects; modify and augment for use in the AgNIC gateway and the Research

Management Information System of ARS.

● 

Identify and implement a new Web search engine to improve access to information on NAL's Website,

including ADA requirements.

● 

Expand web-based access to NAL-provided abstracting and indexing databases for staff in the Beltsville

area.

● 

Expand collection of electronic journals available in NAL and provide desk-top access to the collection for

USDA staff in the Beltsville area.

● 

Continue to build content on the USDA History Collection Web Site through completion of the screwworm

eradication collection CD-ROM and Web Site.

● 

Expand AgNIC subject coverage and partnerships to include international, multilingual collaborators. Begin

research and efforts to supply automatic translation tools on AgNIC site.

● 

General Goal 3: Information products

Create products that support information needs in a changing cultural environment, and

make them widely available through electronic publishing, Internet access, and

state-of-the-art storage and retrieval methods.

Appendix Q

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● Continue populating the Invasive Species Web site in cooperation with other government agencies.

Continue information research activities for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Federal Laboratory

Consortium and other groups, to expand access to agricultural and agriculturally related information.

● 

● Begin developing requirements for a food safety research database in conjunction with stakeholders.

● Develop/update publications in key areas and build content on Web Sites in support of AgNIC.

General Goal 4: Outreach

Promote the availability and use of NAL's resources and information products.

● Attend and participate in conferences, exhibits, interagency meetings, etc.

● Publish at least three new AGRICOLA technical notes.

General Goal 5: Training

Develop and implement programs that enable customers and staff to take full advantage

of current and emerging technologies and information systems.

Continue to provide Oracle, Unix, SQL, and other relevant software training opportunities to staff in

preparation for the migration to a new Electronic Library Management System.

● 

● Continue cross training of system administrators in Unix and Windows NT.

Develop and provide training to Washington-based USDA patrons which focuses on accessing library

services remotely.

● 

Create a customized gateway Web page to facilitate navigation for Washington-based patrons and enhanced

access to electronic resources form Beltsville.

● 

KRA #2: Collection Enhancement and Preservation

Definition: The goals, activities and measures under this key result area address how the NAL staff will ensure

that agricultural information essential to the Nation is identified, acquired and preserved at the local, national and

international levels.

General Goal 6: Resources

Identify information resources relevant to new developments that facilitate the progress

of agriculture.

Appendix Q

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Analyze user survey data and borrowing data from FY 2000 to integrate customer data into decisions on

collection purchases.

● 

Review serials subscriptions for additional cancellations to bring costs in line with diminished materials

budget resources.

● 

● Complete the review of serials published on newsprint quality paper.

Complete the acquisition and selection of all appropriate resources identified in the AgEcon project with the

University of Minnesota.

● 

● Provide access via the online catalog to all electronic journals in the Electronic Media Center.

General Goal 7: Preservation

Preserve landmark works in agriculture and the fields related to agriculture to ensure the

legacy of NAL s collection as a national treasure.

● Continue digital preservation of the Yearbook of Agriculture.

Begin scanning and processing the Alvin L. Young Collection on Herbicide Agent Orange with funding

from the U.S. Air Force. Support the work of the USDA Digital Publications Preservation Steering

Committee.

● 

Develop staffing plan for the preservation program and supporting Web development using existing

resources.

● 

● Create policies and procedures related to the archiving of and long-term access to digital information.

General Goal 8: Cooperation

Promote cooperative programs at the local, national and international levels to provide

coordinated collection development, access and preservation.

Produce an outreach plan to expand partnerships and collaborative funding of project initiatives that

responds to the Panel review of Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.

● 

Work closely with the Joint Institute of Food Safety Research to identify stakeholder needs for creation of

the Food Safety Research Website and database.

● 

● In collaboration with stakeholders, develop a proposal for expanding access to animal welfare information.

In cooperation with the University of Maryland Department of Nutrition, sponsor and train six American

Dietetic Association interns in information management techniques.

● 

Explore the possibilities and options for cooperative research and internships with the University of

Maryland School of Library Science.

● 

Appendix Q

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KRA #3: Human Resources Development and Utilization

Definition: The goals, activities and measures under this key result area address how the NAL staff will create an

organizational climate that produces a high performance work force by encouraging staff innovation,

communication and teamwork, and by implementing an integrated training and development program that focuses

on the continuous improvement of technical, professional, and interpersonal skills.

General Goal 9: Organizational climate

Use quality management principles to create a flexible and team-oriented environment

that is customer-driven and action oriented.

Enhance opportunities for team-supported initiatives as part of the discipline-based reorganization of the

Information Research Services Branch.

● 

● Address top priority concerns identified in the Talico Climate Survey.

General Goal 10: Staff quality

Attract, develop and maintain a skilled, versatile, competent, and diverse work force for

the future.

● Analyze staff participation in recent training and meeting opportunities for trends.

Conduct a national search for a coordinator to lead the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center

program.

● 

● Ensure staff participation in Congressional Workshops.

● Support existing staff involvement and encourage future participation of staff in Mid-Level

● Leadership training program.

General Goal 11: Facilities

Provide a physical environment that is safe, well-equipped, and conducive to

productivity.

● Complete reoccupation of renovated first floor staff areas.

● Relocate fifth floor Public Services staff to third and fourth floors as part of the next phase of renovation.

● Produce a preliminary plan, with associated costs, for conducting a major collection shift in the stacks.

Begin renovation of the fifth floor to house items that require the highest level of environmental control and

security.

● 

● Continue the renovation of the NAL Data Center.

● Install, configure, and bring on-line new or replacement servers received at NAL.

● Transfer ARS HQ Web server files to NT platform at the George Washington Carver Center.

● Install new back-up and recovery software for Web servers and systems.

● Improve security measures, including the reliability and redundancy of all NAL servers.

● Install additional T1 line and backup to support NAL's Internet connection and implement a backup circuit

Appendix Q

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for NAL's existing Internet T1 connection.

● Develop a proposal for centralized procurement of hardware and software for NAL.

● Upgrade NAL's existing dial-up access solution.

Go to Appendix R

Return to Contents

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Appendix Q

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix S

Return to Contents

Appendix R

National Agricultural Library Budget Requests, 1990-2001

The table below summarizes the National Agricultural Library's budget requests. It includes the NAL request, the

Department estimate, the President's Budget and the Congressional Appropriation.

FY

NAL

Estimate

($000)

Departmental

Estimate

($000)

President's

Budget

($000)

Congressional

Appropriation

($000)

1990 $17,933 $14,947 $14,947 $14,676

1991 $36,071 $16,672 $15,773 $16,798

1992 $37,098 $17,320 $17,453 $17,715

1993 $31,147 $18,851 $18,025 $17,715

1994 $31,404 $19,226 $17,915 $18,155

1995 $27,084 $19,663 $19,620 $18,307

1996 $20,852 $19,539 $19,534 $19,465

1997 $21,503 $20,812 $19,487 $19,319

1998 $24,124 $21,387 $19,394 $19,208

1999 $21,394 $19,770 $19,584 $19,900

2000 $24,269 $22,075 $22,157 $20,028

2001 $25,362 $25,172 $22,252 *

Notes: The numbers above only include direct program and Repair & Maintenance funds

The following numbers are not included in the amounts above:

FY 1998 - $2.5 million Building and Facilities Funds allocated for 1st floor renovation

FY 1999 - $1.2 million Building and Facilities Funds allocated for Phase I Air Handler Units

FY 2001 - $1.8 million Building and Facilities Funds approved for 5th floor renovation

*Final calculation of FY 2001 budget has not yet been completed.

Go to Appendix S

Return to Contents

Section R

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Section R

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix T

Return to Contents

Appendix S

Go to Appendix T

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Section S

http://www.nal.usda.gov/assessment/AS.html [8/20/2002 7:58:02 AM]
National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix U

Return to Contents

Appendix T

Go to Appendix U

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Section T

http://www.nal.usda.gov/assessment/AT.html [8/20/2002 7:58:02 AM]
National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix V

Return to Contents

Appendix U

Go to Appendix V

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Section U

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix W

Return to Contents

Appendix V

Comparison of Library Services: National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health Library and the

National Agricultural Library

NLM Library NIH Library NAL

Library Services

Note: NLM training primarily for

librarians; NIH training primarily

for end-user.

● Cataloging

● Preservation

● Reference

● Databases

● Document Delivery

● Extramural Funding

● National Library Network

● Publications

● Training and Outreach

● Online Searching

● Research Updates

● Translation

● E-mail listserv

Custom services (journal

management, clinical

liaison, bibliographic

databases, Web pages)

● 

● Training

● Cataloging

● Preservation

● Reference

Databases / Indexing and

Thesaurus Development

● 

● Document Delivery

Subject focused Information

Centers

● 

● Publications

● Training and Outreach

● Current Awareness

Hours of Operation

(Holiday and seasonal variation in

schedules)

*Reference assistance until 8:00

pm.

Mon 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Tue 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Wed 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Thu 8:30 am - 9:00 pm*

Fri 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Sat 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

Sun Closed

Mon - Thu

 7:45 am - 10:00 pm

Fri 7:45 am - 6:00 pm

Sat 8:30 am - 6:00 pm

Sun 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Reference (M-F 8:30 - 5:00)

Photo Copy Service (M-Th 8 - 8; F

8-6; S 10 - 5; Su 1- 5)

Mon - Fri.

 8:30 am - 4:30 pm

On-site reference and circulation

hours.

Closed Federal Holidays

Reference Services

in FY 2000

*NLM has a single point to process

requests, the total includes enquires

about products and services.

** Circulation requests for

documents and books

Total:* 114,427

Onsite 51,456

Remote 62,871

Circulation**

Onsite 363,780

ILL 390,574

**Circulation of Documents and

Books

Total: 44,328

Information Desk

(Reference): 12,617

Circulation Desk Information

Requests

(Call Number Look-up; availability

of journals, etc.)

 31,711

Total: 23,705

On & Off-site Mediated Reference

Services

Circulation**

Document Delivery and ILL:

 151,841

Web-based information delivery

(hits):

 11,830,876

Materials Budget

*FY 00 Budget

**Projected FY 01 budget;

Total:* $5,370,797

Serials 4,374,230

Books 542,659

Non-Print 161,305

Historical 292,603

Non-Print does not include

licencing access to secondary

databases. NLM plans to increase

licencing for more electronic

materials in FY 01.

Total:** $3,000,000

Serials 1,800,000

Books 200,000

Non-Print 1,000,000

Non-Print category includes

electronic journal subscriptions and

databases.

Total:** $2,071,000

Serials 1,821,000

Books 250,000

Non-Print See Below

Non-Print/electronic publication

and database subscriptions are

included in the Serials and Book

budgets above and are estimated to

be approximately $300,000.

Correction made to the original

report.

Appendix V

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Customer Base Health care providers,

researchers, scholars, and

students

● 

librarians and information

specialists

● 

historians of medicine and

science

● 

● general public

NIH library services are only

available to current NIH employees

Primary audience 6-8,000 currently

employed physicians and Ph.D.

researchers.

Federal, state and local

government officials

● 

Researchers, including 2,000

ARS scientists

● 

● Farmers/producers

USDA administrators,

regulators, researchers

● 

University and college

professors, researchers and

students

● 

● Agri-business

Librarians & Information

Specialists

● 

● News media

International agricultural

organizations and

individuals

● 

● General public

● Congress

Staffing

*Staffing figures reported for

NLM's Division of Library

Operations only. These staffing

figures may include contractors

**Staffing figures include

vacancies for FY 2001.

*Total: 281.46 FTE

Acquire, Organize, Preserve

Biomedical Information

[Equivalent to NAL TSD,

Preservation, and Special

Collections] = 174.6

● 

Provide Access to

Biomedical Information

[Equiv. to NAL PSD] = 83.3

● 

Increase Awareness & Use

of NLM Services Among

Health Professionals = 10

● 

Increase Awareness & Use

of NLM Services Among the

Public = 6.31

● 

Strengthen the National

Network of Libraries of

Medicine = 3.6

● 

Further Medical Informatics

Research = 3.6

● 

Total: 56 FTE

Federal Positions

● Translators = 2

Information & Education

Srvcs [Equivalent to NAL

PSD, IRSB -- nearly all

professional level] = 20

● 

Collection Organization &

Management [Equiv. to

NAL TSD -- 4 librarians] =

8

● 

Information Delivery

[Equiv. to NAL PSD, DDSB

-- 1 librarian] = 18

● 

● Administrative Staff = 3

Systems [Equiv. to NAL

ISD -- 3 computer specialists

and 2 in-training] = 5

● 

20 Contract Employees:

photocopying services, shelving,

some pulling, and maintaining the

self-service photocopy center

Total: 170.35 FTE

Federal Positions

Acquire, catalog, index and

thesaurus=67.1 (+2.5

non-Fed staff)

● 

Document delivery,

interlibrary loan, collections

maintenance, special

collections = 14.5 (+37

non-Fed staff)

● 

Information research

services, reference,

specialized information

centers, circulation = 37

(+44 non-Federal)

● 

Information systems,

end-user support, systems

administrators and

engineers, preservation,

AgNIC, CALS, systems

security, Web management

= 32

● 

Office of the Director,

administration***, public

affairs, facilities, personnel,

budget, travel = 19.5 (+11

non-Fed staff)

● 

*** Provides administrative

services for NAL and ARS HQ

Program Management

Total Budget

Projected for FY 01

Library Operations:

$56,752,000

Total NLM:

$230,135,000

$9,500,000 (includes budget for

overhead and space charges ~

$850,000)

$20,400,000

Go to Appendix W

Appendix V

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Return to Contents

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Appendix V

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix X

Return to Contents

Appendix W

NLM Long-Rang Planning Process

In 1999, the Board of Regents charged the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Director with preparing a new

five year Long Range Plan for the Library. The NLM's Long Range Plan 2000-2005 completes a 20-year cycle

for the Library, which has "a 15-year history of successful long range planning that began in 1985."1 The original

plan has been updated throughout the years leading up to the 1999 effort. The success of this ongoing long range

planning process can be appreciated with the impact of the National Center for Biotechnology Information, a

conceptual product from a planning panel meeting.

The 1985 Long-Range Planning Process

In 1985, the NLM Board of Regents:

resolved to develop a long range plan to guide the Library in wisely using its human, physical, and

financial resources to fulfill its mission . . .

● 

recognized the need for a well-formulated plan because of rapidly evolving information technology,

continued growth in the literature of biomedicine, and the need to make informed choices of intermediate

objectives that would lead NLM toward its strategic, long range goals.

● 

began to develop a 20-year Long Range Plan to guide the Library in using its human, physical, and

financial resources to fulfill its mission.2

● 

The NLM planning process was broad-based and directed by the Board. Participants included librarians, health

professionals, biomedical scientists, medical informaticians, computer scientists, and others whose interests were

intertwined with those of the Library.

More than 70 experts in various fields accepted invitations to serve on one of five planning panels. Each panel

addressed the future in one of the following five areas encompassing NLM's programs and activities that provided

the framework for thinking about the future

1. Building and organizing the Library's collection

2. Locating and gaining access in medical and scientific literature

3. Obtaining factual information from databases

4. Medical informatics

5. Assisting health professions' education through information technology

The NLM chose a planning model with three components:

1. General vision of the future 20 years hence in medicine, library and information sciences, and computer

Appendix W

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communications technology a distant goal societal objective whose achievement requires participation

from many organizations and agencies

2. Opportunities for and impediments to achieve the goal (10 years )

3. Specific steps to take to remove impediments and take advantage of opportunities (3-5 years)

NLM staff involvement included:

Director described his vision of the future, "Scenario: 2005" which was provided to panel members and

library staff for comment.

● 

Library staff prepared background documents on NLM achievements in the five domains, and reviewed

current planning

● 

● Senior NLM staff members also acted as resource persons to the planning panel.

The planning process ended with a report of each panel's recommendations and priorities for future NLM

programs and activities in the five domains under its purview. The NLM staff analyzed and reconciled their

findings, eliminated duplication and consolidated the recommendations. The final synthesized report was adopted

and published in 1987 as the NLM Long Range Plan.

The 1999 Long-Range Planning Process

The Board of Regents recognized the dramatic changes occurring in the societal and technological landscape in

which the NLM operates. This landscape led the Board to develop a strategic plan for the Library. The first step

in the 1999 planning process was to evaluate the impact of the original Long Range Plan. Recommendations that

were substantially accomplished and those requiring additional attention or redirection3 were identified and

summarized. The summary was published in The NLM Track Record. 4

NLM sent The NLM Track Record to more than 250 past planning panel members and other advisors for

comments and posted the Track Record on NLM's public web site. More than 100 individuals provided comments

which the NLM Board of Regents asked NLM staff to incorporate into priorities for a new draft five year Plan. A

broadly representative group of NLM advisors reviewed the draft in December 1999.

The NLM Long Range Plan, 2000-2005 is organized into four broad goals that have eleven objectives and more

than one hundred specific program plans. The Plan "is a map of the future and a set of opportunities that awaits

NLM action and program development." 5 It is not a fixed sequence of steps to accomplish stated goals and

objectives that typically characterize such plans. The Board of Regents and the NLM will develop operational

plans within resource limitations.

Goal 1 focuses on ongoing emphases on providing basic library services. Goals' 2-4 addresses the Library's

highest priority new initiatives for special emphasis as follows:

● health information for the public

● molecular biology information systems

● training for computational biology

● definition of the research publication of the future

● permanent access to electronic information

● fundamental informatics research

● global health partnerships

The NLM Long Range Plan, 2000-2005 resulted from the work of many advisors, colleagues, friends, Board

members and NLM staff.

Summary

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The NLM Board of Regents began a visionary process for the Library through strategic long rang planning. The

planning process helped crystallize an organizational mission and goals which in turn set NLM's priorities and

direction. The 1985 effort began from the starting point of extant programs and services, the foundation from

which it was able to begin the process of creating the future. The successful vision was created through broad

involvement of current and future customer representatives and the NLM staff. The ongoing nature of the

planning process captured important new trends in biomedical information management and customer needs.

NLM was able to capitalize on these trends through leveraging major assets (i.e., its collection). These assets had

been identified and enhanced throughout the original planning process.

References

The following documents are available in full-text on the NLM Web-site at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/plan/.

National Library Medicine Long Range Plan. 2000-2005. Report of the Board of Regents, National Library

of Medicine. Bethesda, Md: National Library of Medicine, 2000. [Pre-pblication version October 2000.]

1. 

2. Long Range Plan of the National Library of Medicine: Report of the Board of Regents (1987).

3. National Library of Medicine Long Range Plan. The NLM Track Record.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid.

Go to Appendix X

Return to Contents

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

Go to Appendix Y

Return to Contents

Appendix X

NAL's Technology Plan

Executive Summary and Update

October 2000

In May - June 1998, a Technology Plan for the National Agricultural Library was drafted and presented to the

Management Team. The purpose of this Plan was to evaluate current and projected information technology (IT)

and systems needs. The Plan also presents a systematic approach for dealing with the rapidly emerging and

expanding IT field as it relates to the NAL mission.

In preparation for writing the Technology Plan, Information Systems Division staff attended a workshop

sponsored by Computers in Libraries which addressed the specific topic of technology planning. Automation and

technology plans prepared by similar organizations were evaluated to gather information about methods of

preparation, successful planning, life cycle of planning, and results of planning. The Information Technology

Branch brainstormed to identify the IT areas which required attention and proposed solutions and

recommendations as appropriate. Future needs were addressed in these recommendations.

The Technology Plan includes a historical account of computers and information technology at the Library, the

state of information technology and information management in 1998, future directions anticipated for both, and

recommendations for the NAL's Management Team.

Since 1998, significant accomplishments at NAL have been made in the information technology arena. Some of

these accomplishments were cited as goals in the 1998 Plan and others have occurred through the introduction of

new program initiatives. Specifically, we have:

Upgraded the NAL Infrastructure with a new Cisco 5509 core switch which provides us with additional

capacity to support dedicated bandwidth to the computer room servers as well as to wiring closets.

Upgraded wiring closets to 100 MB switched to the desktop to provide dedicated bandwidth.

● 

Increased remote access capabilities for staff by expanding access to include the LAN file server,

upgrading our modem pool, and implementing an 800 number. Implemented Microsoft Outlook Web

Access to permit e-mail access across the Internet for the NAL staff.

● 

Improved NAL's information systems security posture by contracting for a thorough security assessment,

implementation of a firewall, and draft of information systems security policies and procedures.

● 

Migrated to Windows 95 operating system and Exchange/Outlook which is an email and scheduling

package providing greater functionality for staff.

● 

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Fully established the Electronic Services Center (formerly known as the Electronic Media Center) file

server and workstations.

● 

● Contracted for a thorough evaluation of environmental conditions of our Data Center.

● Developed incident prevention and response to computer virus attacks.

Implemented servers in support of various initiatives including FSRIO, FNIC, AgClass, and Invasive

Species.

● 

● Developed document citing technical issues for a new Library Management System.

● Instituted a cross-training program for system administrators.

● Established a Test Lab for prototyping new technologies and applications.

● Evaluated network attached storage concept for future use at NAL.

Implemented Dynacom 3270 terminal access to the National Finance Center in place of the X25 modem

access.

● 

● Upgraded computer projection systems in the Conference Room and Training Room.

Improved our procurement of computer workstations by the selection of another vendor and configuration

standardization. Evaluated life cycles for NAL workstations.

● 

● Successfully transitioned to Y2K.

● Implemented a 24 x 7 coverage for computing resources.

● Implemented AGRICOLA on the Web through a web gateway to ISIS records.

Continued to evaluate and restructure as necessary our computing resources and develop annual

information technology goals.

● 

Our specific IT objectives for FY 2001 include: evaluation and possible implementation of a new library

management system; Internet bandwidth expansion; automated help desk; renovation of the Data Center;

implementation of new listserv software; further evaluation of network attached storage concept;

institutionalizing life cycles for both microcomputers and servers; exploring new technologies including virtual

private networks, wireless LANs, firewall high availability, gigabit speed uplinks from wiring closets to core

switch, videoconferencing; implement faster remote access to our network, automatic emergency shutdown on all

servers, additional network upgrades.

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Table of Contents

History and Introduction 3

Scope of The Technology Plan 4

State of Information Technology at NAL 5

 The NAL Infrastructure 5

 Network Architecture Overview 6

 USDA Internet Access Network 7

 BARCNet and ARSWAN 7

 OCLC Network Connectivity 8

 NAL-wide Windows NT Local Area Network (NT LAN) 8

 Unix Servers, Electronic Databases, and the World Wide Web 10

 Information Technology Training 11

 Groupwise 11

 Remote Access 11

 Microcomputers 12

Future Direction of Information Technology 13

 New E-Mail and Scheduling Package 13

 Remote Access Expansion 14

 Intranet 14

 Security Assessment 15

 Anonymous Email 15

 OCLC Dedicated TCP/IP Implementation 15

 ARIEL 15

 EMC NT Server 15

 RIC Server Upgrade 16

 Centralized Procurement of Hardware and Software 16

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 Systems Engineering Initiative 16

 Network Management Initiative 16

 New NAL DNS 17

State of Information Management at NAL 17

 Establish Customer Service Standards for USDA/ARS 17

 Establish NAL's online version of AGRICOLA on Internet 18

 Integrated Library System 18

 Continue & establish new cooperative efforts with other agricultural institutions 19

 Make NAL- and non-NAL-produced electronic information resources available 20

Future Direction of Information Management 21

A Note on Information Technology and Management Projects 22

Recommendations for NAL's Management Team 22

Appendices 25

NAL'S Technology Plan

History and Introduction

 In 1993, it was recognized that fundamental changes in computer strategies were taking place, specifically

increased use of computer solutions for recording and disseminating information. This recognition prompted the

formation of the Electronic Information Initiative (EII) team to thoroughly evaluate, investigate, and recommend

appropriate actions and directions for the Library to take to align itself with emerging and future technologies.

The final report contained significant information and recommendations for the Library.

 In part, the EII Report recognized that the Library must make significant investments in information

technologies needed to collect, organize, store, and disseminate electronic information. Today, more than ever,

vast amounts of recorded information are being made available in both print and electronic format. Many

resources are now only available in electronic form. In order to provide access to these resources, libraries need to

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offer electronic services to supplement the traditional print services. Coupled with this trend, are the increasingly

sophisticated needs of our customers. These needs will translate into expectations for more timely delivery of

information in a wider diversity of formats. The expansion of our information services is vital in meeting the

present and future needs of our customers. Toward this end, in February 1994 an NAL Information Alert

announced that the NAL in its commitment to becoming an electronic library, has adopted electronic information

as the "preferred medium" for library materials.

 The evolution of the World Wide Web (WWW) during the last decade has a momentous impact on society

worldwide. For the Library environment, the WWW enables access to and dissemination of electronically

recorded information more extensively and effectively than ever before. As noted in the WWW Policy and

Guidelines of the NAL, the Web is "an increasingly attractive and effective dissemination channel for federal

agencies."

 In reaction to the EII Report and the WWW evolution, NAL prepared a document entitled Policy and

Guidelines on Electronic Communication, dated September 20, 1994. This document discusses the importance of

the use of electronic communication and how the use by NAL strengthens NAL's role and enhances NAL's image

as an active member of the electronic community.

 The early 1990's also witnessed the NAL's strategic planning process. Beginning in 1993, an environmental

examination was conducted to determine our stakeholders and customers as well as internal and external factors

affecting the agency. During this phase we restated our mission, articulated core values, and created a vision.

NAL's vision holds firm the direction of NAL in the information technology arena.

 "The National Agricultural Library leads in the information revolution by forging partnerships and exploring

new methods and technologies that advance open and democratic access to information. As a dynamic, efficient,

and effective organization, we are dedicated to the delivery of information to customers worldwide. The staff sets

and maintains the highest standards of excellence in information services. As keepers of our Nation's agricultural

legacy, we preserve and protect information for future generations.

 "We are a multicultural and diverse organization. Decision-making and accountability are shared, creating an

environment that is vital, challenging, rewarding, and enjoyable. Our work makes a difference--it enriches the

lives of people everywhere."

 These important events, the EII, evolution of the WWW, and NAL's strategic planning, have laid the

foundation on which to design our technology plan. Realizing the value of participatory decision-making, an

internal NAL partnership will be formed and each unit will contribute its unique measure to the final composition

of our technology plan.

Scope of The Technology Plan

 This Technology Plan is guided by the mission, values, and vision of the Library . More specifically, this plan

serves as a blueprint to enable Library activity which "ensures and enhances access to agricultural information for

a better quality of life." Not a unique document nor the beginning of planning at the National Agricultural

Library, this document can be viewed as a continuation of the Electronic Information Initiative Final Report.

 Information presented is for planning and to alert management to the current status of our technologies.

Information and recommendations are based on today's computer technology and it is understood that some

technologies in this plan may be obsolete or superseded before they can be implemented. Rapid information

technology changes necessitate periodic updates. However, long range planning is necessary to ensure continuity

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and direction while allowing for flexibility to accommodate the introduction of new and innovative technologies

and services. We need to continually monitor and respond to the various trends and emerging developments in

library practices.

 The focus of this plan will be computer technology and management including hardware, software,

networking, servers, website management, fax machines, telephones (as they relate to voice over data networks),

and electronic databases. Facility operations such as telephone, photocopiers, independent fax machines, voice

mail, and environmental controls will not be addressed.

 Computers, networks, and other information technologies are important working tools for our staff and

important tools for providing information to our patrons. A successful technology plan is not just one of

procuring bigger and faster systems but an intricate plan of what technologies we have a need for and of how our

various technologies and systems interconnect. We must select technologies appropriate to the application needs

and to the information to be delivered. The importance of collecting users requirements and conducting needs

assessments cannot be overemphasized. Performing these evaluations assist in avoiding costly implementation for

unnecessary or poorly performing technologies. We need to examine carefully what we really need. Conducting

an in-depth analysis of technology needs is part of the large technology evaluation effort. Historically,

implementing technology for technology's sake without regard for how the use of technology will be integrated

has failed. A technology needs assessment is more effective when the analysis is based on actual goals and

available resources.

 Technology itself doesn't provide value to our customers. It is the NAL staff who uses technology and who

assist our customers that makes the difference. Training and cross-training programs will be critical in

maintaining an informed and competent library staff. New technologies, services, and resources must be

effectively communicated to the public, USDA, and other government departments to increase awareness, use,

and support for the NAL.

State of Information Technology at NAL

 This section addresses the state of information technology at NAL. Since the release of the EII Phase II

Report, many technological advances have occurred. While some EII recommendations are current, others are

not. The status of the EII recommendations is provided in Appendix A. Initiatives recognized or developed since

the report are included to provide the reader with a comprehensive report of information technology.

The NAL Infrastructure

 The ever-increasing needs to communicate more effectively and work together more efficiently were the

fundamental forces behind the planning and implementation of the NAL building-wide network. Planning began

in the late 1980's/early 1990's when LAN technology began to achieve widespread acceptance, and the Internet

was still in its infancy.

 One of the early milestones of the NAL infrastructure is the 1989 installation of a T1 connection to

SURANet, a major Internet Service Provider. This connection provided NAL with Internet capability to support a

document delivery image transfer project with North Carolina State University. Several years later, in 1993, the

building's fiber-optic backbone was installed, along with a modem rack, terminal server, and e-mail server. The

wiring of the NAL building continued throughout 1994 and 1995, as twisted pair network cabling was installed

between users' desktops and wiring closets located at strategic points throughout the building. These wiring

closets contained equipment which allowed the twisted pair wiring to be connected to the building's fiber-optic

backbone.

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 During FY 1996, NAL continued to expand its networking capabilities. The backbone networking equipment

was upgraded to enable users to access network resources at higher speeds than in the past. This upgrade took

place in several stages. Stage one consisted of an upgrade to the core networking equipment. The upgrade was

purchased in FY 1996 and installed in FY 1997. It consisted of the installation of a backbone switch and

converting the network backbone from a hybrid switched/routed environment to a purely switched configuration.

This change has resulted in a decrease in network congestion and a corresponding increase in network

throughput, bandwidth availability, and performance. The next stage of the network backbone upgrade plan will

consist of upgrades to the network equipment located in the wiring closets throughout the building. Specifically,

the shared hubs in the wiring closets will be replaced with Ethernet/Fast Ethernet switches. This change will

increase the bandwidth available on the backbone and to the desktop. This change is expected to take place

beginning in FY 1998, subject to available funding. Necessary wiring modifications as a result of the renovation

are not known at this time.

 To support state-of-the-art monitoring and service for the NAL Infrastructure, implementation of an NAL

Network Operations Center took place in FY 1997. The center is dedicated to monitoring and managing the NAL

backbone network. This project consisted of the purchase of hardware and software that allow for remote

monitoring and management of all critical network resources from a single, centralized site.

Network Architecture Overview

 NAL's building-wide network is a classic collapsed backbone architecture, consisting of a series of bundles of

12 fibers running between the computer room and network hubs in wiring closets throughout the building. This

type of network design allows a great deal of flexibility in the configuration of the network. Initially, all segments

of the building backbone were connected to a series of network concentrators located in the NAL computer room.

These concentrators were connected to a router, which allowed for communication between the various network

segments, as well as a gateway to the Internet via the T1 connection to SURANet.

 The network backbone equipment has undergone several stages of modernization since the initial

implementation of the building network. The original router has been replaced with a later generation model

capable of increased performance. In addition, other backbone networking equipment was upgraded to enable

users to access network resources at higher speeds than in the past. The network core function was migrated from

the original router to a Fast Ethernet switch, allowing high-speed interconnections between hubs in building

wiring closets and servers located in the computer room. Ethernet switches are beginning to be deployed

throughout the network as well, in order to reduce network congestion and improve overall network

responsiveness.

 NAL's network consists a fiber-optic backbone connecting wiring closets on most floors of the building, a

Catalyst 5000 FastEthernet switch tying together all of the wiring closets throughout the building, an X.25 (to be

upgraded to a Frame Relay) connection to OCLC, a 10 Mb connection to the BARC backbone (which provides

SMDS connectivity to the USDA network), and a T1 connection to the Internet. The wiring closets contain

Ethernet hubs, for the most part. Recently one FastEthernet switch was deployed in ISD with excellent results.

The hubs are now connected to the Catalyst 5000 FastEthernet switch, which in turn is connected to the router.

The router is a Cisco 4500 upgraded from the older model Cisco AGS+.

 Appendix B provides a graphical representation of the NAL Infrastructure. Appendix C is the detailed plan of

action and milestones for the Catalyst 5000 integration.

USDA Internet Access Network

 NAL has maintained a continuous Internet presence since the installation of its T1 connection to SURANet in

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1989. This connection predates nearly every other Internet connection in the Department of Agriculture, and is

more established than the USDA Internet Access Network (USDA IAN) by more than three years. In 1993, the

predecessor to USDA's OCIO established a Department-funded-and-managed connection to the Internet via

USDA's Technical Services Division in Ft. Collins. This was followed up by a proposal to improve service and

allow increased redundancy by creating an east coast node for the USDA IAN. This was originally proposed to

utilize NAL's existing Internet connection and connect NAL to the USDA South building via a dedicated leased

line. This proposal was never implemented, and the USDA IAN east coast node was placed at the USDA South

Building complex.

 NAL continues to manage its own Internet connection instead of relying on the USDA IAN for a variety of

reasons. These reasons include concerns about quality of service, a requirement for around-the-clock (24 x 7)

monitoring on both ends of the connection, and insufficient bandwidth capacity of the Internet link.

BARCNet and ARSWAN

 In 1996, NAL connected its network to the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center's FDDI (fiber distributed

data interface) backbone (BARCNet), allowing higher-speed access between NAL and systems located

throughout BARC. This connection initially consisted of a fiber cable between NAL's backbone router and a port

on the GRIN network located in the NAL computer Room. In FY 1997, this connection was reconfigured to hook

directly to a BARC backbone switch, thus making NAL a true node on the BARC backbone. NAL's connection to

the BARC backbone also serves as NAL's link to the ARS Wide Area Network (ARSWAN), which interconnects

all eight ARS administrative areas via a series of Frame Relay links.

 In addition, NAL serves as the connection point to the BARC backbone for the Livestock and Poultry

Sciences Institute, located in building 200, via an AirLan located on the NAL roof. This BARC connection allows

all of BARC to use NAL's Internet gateway and enabled an independent circuit, from the BARC network to the

Internet, to be shut down. Savings are estimated at more than $15,000 in FY 1997. The BARC backbone

connection also provides NAL with a connection to many USDA networks via a BARC-managed Switched

Multi-megabit Data Service (SMDS) connection which connects several BARC-affiliated research sites

throughout the Washington metropolitan area. Appendix D is a graphical representation of the BARC ARS

Backbone Network.

OCLC Network Connectivity

 During 1996, NAL converted its geographically-limited dialup OCLC access to a shared X.25 link, accessible

to all computers with an NAL network connection, including those using the dialup modem pool. Previously,

access had been limited to only OCLC-configured computers connected to a series of concentrators located at

several points throughout the building, or to direct, expensive dial up. This type of service was eliminated in favor

of the X.25 solution due to its more economical cost and expanded coverage.

NAL-wide Windows NT Local Area Network (NT LAN)

 NAL began the planning and prototyping process for a building-wide local area network in FY 1996. The

process consisted of meeting with end users to determine requirements, researching possible products and

applications, prototyping solutions, and purchasing production-level servers. The servers were received, set up,

and configured in 1996. In addition both personal directories and directories accessible to multiple groups were

set up on the servers. The first applications were loaded, resources were configured for sharing across the LAN,

and user accounts were set up. The planning process is fully detailed in Appendix E.

 NAL's Local Area Network (LAN) is centered around Microsoft's Windows NT Server currently running

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version 3.51 on two Compaq Proliant backbone servers, dedicated to file and printer sharing applications. These

machines have disk RAID capability for reliability in case of a single disk failure. In addition, system components

are monitored for fault detection prior to failure, to allow a component to be swapped out before it fails.

 The servers are in the process of being upgraded to Windows NT Server 4.0. In addition, a third server is

being brought on-line to provide for an automatic failover if either of the two primary servers should experience a

catastrophic failure. In addition, a Windows NT-based tape backup solution for NAL's NT servers is reaching

production status, and will be used to provide both on-site and off-site backup sets for use in disaster recovery

operations.

 A complete suite of server-resident applications has been installed on NAL's NT servers, including the

CorelSuite of applications (WordPerfect, Netscape, Quattro Pro, etc.) as well as Lotus 1-2-3, InForms,

WinSPIRS, Hot Dog HTML editor, Adobe Acrobat, Passport for Windows, MultiTes, Thomas Register database,

a 3270 emulation program for access to the National Finance Center's (NFC) Online Travel system, and

Cataloger's Desktop. Some of these applications have been installed to be used in conjunction with a software

license metering scheme. Software license metering allows for a reduction in the number of licenses to be

purchased to support the entire library, since licensing is based only on the number of simultaneous users of any

particular application. Thus, it is possible to achieve greater efficiency in the use of budgetary resources. These

applications installed on NAL's NT servers benefit the entire library in general, but also many individual units

within the library whose specialized applications have been made available in ways not possible before the

installation of the LAN. Also during 1997, many units were set up to use network printers available via the

building backbone. This allows many users to easily and transparently share printing resources located throughout

the library, thus generating reduced operating costs and improving efficient use of computing resources.

Appendix F is a list of all server applications available to NAL staff.

 All LAN users have access to both shared and private disk space on the servers. Users are currently

quota-limited to 10 Mb per user, but exceptions can be made on a space-available and as-needed basis. A

software package monitors current disk quota usage and prohibits disk usage beyond the pre-established quota.

Shared disk space on the servers has been organized along NAL organizational lines, and access privileges and

permissions are set at the branch or division level.

 A number of network management packages have been installed to allow for more efficient support of the

NAL network. These include Norton Administrator for Networks, which is used to provide 1) software license

metering, 2) remote software distribution, and 3) software and hardware inventory of all LAN clients. The Cisco

Works for Switched Internetworks is used to simplify management of NAL's routers and switches. Cabletron's

SPECTRUM Element Manager is used to manage the hubs located in NAL's wiring closets. Compaq's Insight

Manager monitors the Compaq servers for hardware and system reliability. Finally, Windows NT Server has a

variety of tools available for monitoring server and network performance.

 The installation of the USDA-NFC On Line Travel system was also coordinated. This system allows for more

efficient processing of both local and TDY travel. The results are a quicker resolution of outstanding travel claims

which generates savings to the government.

Windows 95 Deployment

 In early FY 1998, ISD developed a deployment plan for Windows 95 at the Library and opened up a test lab

for the purpose of testing the functionality of NAL's current suite of software under the Windows 95 operating

system. Users were encouraged to use the lab to familiarize themselves with the Windows 95 user interface and

load their own applications for testing. The test lab provides the opportunity for staff to see what their new

desktop will be like once Windows 95 is deployed.

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 The deployment schedule for Windows 95 begins in mid-April 1998 and will continue through the summer.

Careful coordination of training and deployment plans was scheduled so that each user will receive hands-on

training while the new operating system is deployed on their workstation. In that regard, there will be no lag time

between training and actual use of Windows 95. Appendix F provides details on the Windows 95 Implementation

Plan and the Windows 95 deployment plan.

Unix Servers, Electronic Databases, and the World Wide Web

 Unix servers have been installed at NAL to support both the user community, the Electronic Information

Initiative, and NAL's position on the World Wide Web. The first major server was cliff, NAL's e-mail server,

which was installed during 1992. This was followed by the setup of NAL's gopher during the summer of 1994

which has since been shut down in December 1997 due to technology changes. That server represented NAL's

first foray into the arena of providing information to patrons and the general public via the Internet. The NAL

webserver was brought online in April 1995, marking NAL's entry into the World Wide Web. NAL's USENET

news server was also established in early 1995. The USENET server allows NAL users to read and post news

articles on a variety of USENET groups. In addition, the news server allowed the establishment of several local

newsgroups to be used for local discussions on a number of topics. The local newsgroup capability improved the

distribution of NAL's monthly reports by allowing reported to be posted and read electronically, eliminating the

paper copies, and making reports available in a more timely manner than in the past.

 In FY 1996, a new solution for backup of network servers was installed. The solution consists of network

accessible tape drives and a tape library with network backup software. Backups are provided of all NAL's

multi-user, mission-critical, server-based resources. Also in FY 1996, a majordomo list server was established.

This provided the capability for user-maintainable mailing lists for both onsite and offsite users.

 The beginning of calendar year 1997 set in motion the Electronic Media Center (EMC). Two Unix servers

dedicated to this initiative have been purchased and setup. These servers provide access to a variety of

agriculturally-related databases, including AGRICOLA, and to the Library's electronic archiving and publishing

programs. Prototypes for NAL's implementation of the OCLC Site Search package and several ARS-produced

databases were also developed on these systems. Available databases to date are listed in Appendix G. At present,

there are 22 Unix systems serving the mission of the National Agricultural Library. The servers and their

functions are listed in Appendix H.

 Also during FY 1997, Unix system administrators planned the redesign of the computer room to

accommodate additional equipment and they developed a new, comprehensive set of computer room emergency

response procedures. All Unix systems will be relocated to the computer room which is a locked facility with

sensing devices to alert administrators to changes in temperature and humidity.

 When the concept of webservers and webmasters was in its infancy, the responsibility of a webmaster called

for a technical person to oversee the development of the server and various applications. There has been an

evolution in a webmaster's responsibilities in other organizations as well as at NAL. Since many of the initial

technical issues have been overcome and industry standards are in place, the webmaster now needs to serve as a

content expert rather than a technical expert. In early 1998, the NAL's webmaster position made the transition

from technical to content. Appendix I provides the responsibilities and qualifications for the NAL Webmaster and

Appendix J is the charter for the Web Management Team.

Information Technology Training

 At this writing, the NAL computer training program is going into its 8th year of having an onsite computer

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instructor. The focus of the training program is to provide staff with hands-on instruction for microcomputer and

Internet applications. Training classes are scheduled regularly for a variety of subjects and range from short

one-hour sessions to all day workshops. The training room consists of ten student multimedia Pentium

workstations and an instructor's workstation. Ten new classes were developed for NAL staff during FY 97

including course titles such as Introduction to HTML, Netscape: Bookmarks, AltaVista and Yahoo!, and Lotus

5.0 Working with Multiple Worksheets. In FY98, a considerable amount of time has been spent developing three

customized training classes for Windows 95.

 An NAL webpage, URL: www.nal.usda.gov/training, was developed for the exclusive use of NAL staff. This

webpage provides detailed information on course content and schedules. Part of the webpage is specific to the

Windows 95 deployment. Of great value is the newly established Frequently Asked Questions for Using

Windows 95.

Groupwise

 In 1997, in an effort to increase communication between ARS and NAL administration, steps were taken to

add NAL management to the National Program Staff (NPS) domain within the GroupWise electronic mail

system. This enables all ARS locations that use GroupWise to seamlessly add members of the NAL management

team to messages and eliminates the need of each location to establish this group locally.

Remote Access

 As an ongoing initiative, ISD staff evaluates issues involved with remote access and implements technology

as needs dictate and resources permit. Initially, NAL's dial up capability consisted of an integrated rack of 10

V.32bis (14.4 kbps) modems connected to a terminal server. This system was used for terminal (VT100) access to

NAL's e-mail server via a telnet session. Later, in 1995, a software package was installed on the e-mail server to

allow pseudo-SLIP connections to be established, thus granting true Internet capability to dialup users. This step

was followed by a modem pool and terminal server upgrade in 1997 that allows up to 16 simultaneous V.34 (33.6

kbps) connections and true SLIP/PPP dialup capability without the use of an intervening software product.

Specifically, a bank of 16 integrated V.34 modems and a new terminal server were installed to allow users to

connect to NAL's network using either SLIP, PPP, or a terminal-based communication package. This project

allows seamless connectivity to many of NAL's network resources, regardless of where the user is located - on

site or remote via a dial up link.

 Remote access to NAL resources is divided into three areas 1) remote access via a modem and NAL's modem

pool (modem access), 2) remote access via the Internet (Internet access), and 3) remote access via a

USDA-managed network (USDA access).

 Modem access: Currently NAL staff has remote access to all authorized SilverPlatter electronic databases

(both at NAL in Beltsville and at SilverPlatter in Cambridge, MA) via a WinSPIRS client, ISIS (via telnet and/or

web), email (via telnet and/or a terminal session), USENET news (via NAL's news server), and the entire Internet

(via a SLIP or PPP connection). This access is made possible by a remote access solution consisting of a terminal

server and 16-port V.34 (33.6 kbps) modem pool that was deployed in July 1997. The terminal server is

configured to allow clients to set up terminal sessions (for telnet to cliff only) and SLIP or PPP sessions (used for

accessing IP-based resources, like the Internet).

 When the remote access solution was announced, ISD prepared an instruction sheet on configuring a

Windows or Windows for Workgroups client for remote access. In September 1997, ISD prepared an instruction

sheet on configuring a Windows 95 client for remote access. Both of these are available on the S: drive in the

S:\NAL\DOCS\LIAISON directory. In addition, ISD always expresses willingness to assist users with

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configuring computers for remote access and has configured computers for users on numerous occasions.

 Internet access: From an Internet-connected machine at a remote location, NAL staff can access the

following: e-mail (via telnet), plus any IP-based resources (web server, ftp server, other IP-based servers). Access

to these resources is currently secured only by a cleartext (i.e. not encrypted) username and password, or by

anonymous access to the web and ftp servers.

 USDA access: At the present time, staff access to NAL's resources via a USDA-managed network is nearly

identical to Internet access (with some exceptions for DCRC). This can change as the USDA Enterprise Network

takes shape, and security policies and procedures for interconnected USDA networks come into being. Appendix

K provides a list of resources currently available as well as a graphical representation of the various types of

access. In the section of this document entitled "Future Information Technology Directions", information is

detailed concerning the expansion of remote access for other electronic resources.

Microcomputers

 Microcomputers as work tools were first introduced at NAL in 1985. They are now the main work tool for

NAL staff and provide the means for accessing the Internet, working with software applications, providing

document delivery, indexing, cataloging, serving acquisitions/serials needs, and as a need to conduct

administrative tasks. The first microcomputers received were IBMs with 8088 processors, two floppy drives and

1200 baud modems. There were no hard drives or high density drives available on the market. The first operating

system was DOS 1.1. Since that time, there have been remarkable strides in computer technology and a

tremendous proliferation of microcomputers at NAL. Presently, NAL has approximately 500 microcomputers

ranging in configuration from 386s to Pentiums, 8 Mb to 64 MB of RAM, and 160 MB to 4 GB hard drives.

 On April 3, 1998 the USDA issued Departmental Notice 3120-1 "Technical Standards Architecture". This

document is provided in Appendix L and details the minimum specification for all personal computers and

laptops that are purchased by USDA agencies. NAL uses those requirements when purchasing all microcomputer

and laptop orders.

Future Direction of Information Technology

 This section specifies information technology issues that must be addressed in the near future. While many

technology issues exist, there are four major issues that are recognized as immediate priority initiatives. They are

a new email and scheduling package, remote access expansion, development of an NAL Intranet, and a security

assessment of our computer systems. These four issues are in various stages of planning and implementation and

the status is addressed in each individual section. Along with these major issues are many other topics that need

to be addressed, evaluated, and prioritized by the Management Team. Those topics are also defined in this

section.

New E-Mail and Scheduling Package

 Our present email system and scheduling packages no longer meet the complete needs of NAL staff nor do

they even begin to compare with the functionality of current packages available on the market. Recognizing this

need, ISD collected requirements from the user community in February 1998 and developed technical

requirements. ISD then evaluated several software packages against user and technical requirements. Specifically,

they evaluated Eudora Pro's Email and Planner, Meeting Maker, Netscape's email package, and Microsoft

Exchange.

 Microsoft Exchange is a messaging system which has both email and scheduling as well as other utilities.

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Exchange met all of the user's requirements as well as the technical requirements. Of particular importance is the

need at NAL for integrated application suites. Exchange meets this need by its compatibility with our existing

LAN. It will provide greater functionality and interoperability with other applications than we currently have

available, and it is extremely user friendly. For those reasons, Exchange was selected for our new email and

scheduling package.

 The next steps are to purchase hardware and software and plan the implementation. This process is expected

to take about six months and will begin in September 1998.

Remote Access Expansion

 A growing need is being expressed for expanded remote access to resources, such as the S and U network

drives, LAN-based databases such as the EMC's Thomas Register, Acquisition's dBase, Indexing's Multites as

well as the ISSN database and Cataloger's desktop application. This is in addition to any LAN-based packages

used by the entire library, such as WordPerfect, Lotus, etc.

 While it may be technically feasible to provide access to some of these resources with existing equipment and

some effort on the part of ISD, there are many important issues involved with a comprehensive solution for

remote access. These issues need to be resolved before any changes to the current remote access capabilities can

be effectively and safely implemented. Issues that require evaluation are listed in Appendix M. Expansion of

remote access is considered a major project for ISD staff making it ideal for the first session of the Management

Team's analysis which is addressed in the "Recommendations for NAL Management" section of this document.

Intranet

 One of the many types of networks being explored and implemented throughout government and the private

sector is an Intranet. An Intranet can be defined many ways but basically is an network internal to an organization

that uses TCP/IP protocols and Web-based tools. In order for NAL to intelligently evaluate NAL's needs for an

Intranet, the Associate Director of Automation requested that an on-site seminar be provided to his staff to

educate them concerning an Intranet in a library setting. To this end, McQueen Consulting was contracted to

provide an all-day seminar entitled Building the Corporate Intranet Knowledge Center. Topics included a basic

introduction to Intranets, how to build a successful Intranet, document management systems, search engines, thin

client technology for accessing databases, firewalls and security, as well as many other topics. The presenter,

Howard McQueen, has been devoted to library-related technologies since 1986. He is the CEO of McQueen

Consulting, a Baltimore-based company, that designs, implements, and supports new and innovative Intranet and

management-based technologies.

 In addition to ISD staff, the Web Management Team, Branch Heads, and NAL Management were invited to

attend. The seminar provided a comprehensive foundation of knowledge on which to make future decisions

concerning an Intranet at NAL. The next step is to determine the priority of an Intranet Implementation Project at

NAL. It is recommended that the Web Management Team take the lead for this project.

Security Assessment

 In order to secure our computing resources and data at NAL, the Associate Director of Automation requested

that a security assessment be conducted. This security assessment will determine the vulnerabilities of our

systems and appropriate measures that need to be put in place in order to safeguard data integrity and to protect

networks and services from the "hacker community", human error, and white-collar crime. The onsite security

assessment will be conducted by an independent company and the resulting report will include the methodology

used to conduct the assessment, a detailed description of NAL's network and systems, an assessment of

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vulnerabilities and risks including risks with current and proposed network configurations and administration,

recommendations for correcting vulnerabilities and limiting risks, recommended security policies, and a

recommendation for a firewall.

 A statement of work for the security assessment was submitted to procurement in early May 1998. The award

was given to Network Associates, Inc., formerly Trusted Information Systems, Inc. The onsite survey and

evaluation will begin in June and will include interviews with ISD technical staff as well as end users and

management. An important outcome from this assessment will be specifications for a firewall. It is now a USDA

mandate for all USDA organizations managing or controlling Internet access points or gateways to make

provisions to have these access points and/or gateways protected by a firewall. The procurement of the firewall

will be an immediate step after the security assessment is accomplished. This initiative is a high priority for ISD.

Anonymous Email

 There have been several requests to allow the use of anonymous email from the public microcomputers in the

EMC and Reference. An official policy needs to be developed concerning anonymous email and research needs

to be conducted periodically for ways to provide this service without the present security risks.

OCLC Dedicated TCP/IP Implementation

 This project will consist of the necessary routing, filtering, and other hardware and software configuration

changes to be made to NAL's systems in order to connect to the new OCLC dedicated TCP/IP router, to be

installed sometime during 1998.

ARIEL

 New aspects of this ongoing project include operations of the ARIEL software in Windows 95, testing and

installation of an ARIEL machine for the USDA National Arboretum, new scanner/hardware testing and support.

EMC NT Server

 This project involves developing specifications for a server to run Windows NT for the EMC, providing

support for the installation and configuration, and ongoing maintenance and management of the server. The

server will be used to house various EMC-related applications, as well as shared data and other databases

intended for use by walk-in patrons. It is required in order to physically and logically separate the internal NT

servers, intended for NAL staff use only, from a server to be assessed (and potentially probed, hacked on, and

disabled) by the general public. This project will also investigate methods for securing the workstations assessed

by walk-in patrons against intentional or unintentional damage.

RIC Server Upgrade

 This project involves providing assistance to the Rural Information Center as they look for a replacement for

their current CRIS database. It would include: setting up RIC-purchased software, installing Windows NT Server,

and providing technical input and assistance as necessary in choosing/developing a new database solution. Some

possibilities would include an easy-to-use front end, connecting to a robust back end database, such as SQL

server or some other database.

Centralized Procurement of Hardware and Software

 This project will involve an analysis of the spending trends for hardware and software throughout NAL and a

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recommendation for combining all hardware and software budgets for an equitable distribution of equipment.

Systems Engineering Initiative

 This is an ongoing project dedicated to system administration of Unix servers and workstations. System

Administration Standard Operating Procedures were developed in 1997 to provide the framework for

administration of all systems.

Network Management Initiative

 This ongoing project seeks to find new ways to allow for more efficient management of NAL's backbone

network. Currently, it consists of various monitoring consoles running different applications, such as Compaq's

Insight Manager, CiscoWorks for Switched Internetworks, Cabletron's SPECTRUM Element Manager, and

others. A copy of Microsoft's Systems Management Server (SMS) needs to be purchased in order to provide

access to a more fully-functional version of the Network Monitor product included with Windows NT Server 4.0

and a copy of SQL Server needs to be purchased in order to enable the fully functionality of the CiscoWorks

package. Currently, the long-term trending analysis capability, necessary to view and analyze long-term trends on

NAL's network, is disabled. SQL Server is required to activate this functionality. Both SMS and SQL Server are a

part of the Microsoft BackOffice 4.0 Suite.

New NAL DNS

 This project will include investigating new methods for running various naming services at NAL. This will

include DNS, DHCP, an integrated DHCP with dynamic DNS updates, plus a new naming scheme for network

resources at the Library. The current naming scheme does little to provide information to those responsible for

troubleshooting on the network. A newer scheme containing more informative names for network resources

would allow for more efficient use of troubleshooting resources.

State of Information Management at NAL

 This section addresses the state of information management at NAL as it relates to the tasks set forth in the

1994 EII Planning Report. Since the release of this planning document, NAL has witnessed a number of

accomplishments in the areas of customer service, access to AGRICOLA, NAL's integrated library system (ISIS),

cooperative ventures with external institutions, and the availability of electronic information. Brief descriptions of

these initiatives and related activities follow.

Establish Customer Service Standards for USDA/ARS

 A component of this EII planned activity centered on evaluating user needs focussing on USDA/ARS, the

information requirements of its researchers, and their connectivity capability. In the summer of 1997, at the

request of ARS administration, a survey of ARS scientists and staff was conducted on their secondary source

information needs. The ARS Literature Searching Needs Assessment was performed within the framework of the

continued need to offer the Current Awareness Literature Service and provides valuable insights on information

gathering techniques used by ARS researchers and staff. As a result of this survey, anecdotal information also

was gathered on the connectivity (or perceived connectivity) of ARS locations.

 The resulting report was to be used by ARS Administration to determine if the value of CALS to its

researchers justified the cost of providing the service. The service was extended into 1998, but continues to be

evaluated by an ARS-wide team which includes a representative from NAL. This team is charged with assessing

ARS research information needs and will provide recommendations to ARS administration in the summer of

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1998. This assessment will be conducted via a survey targeted to the ARS researcher which complements the one

issued in 1997. NAL will take the appropriate steps to comply with the decisions of the ARS administration

which will be based on the recommendations of the ARS-wide team.

 In a separate 1997 initiative, the Electronic Media Center began expanding the availability of its electronic

resources to ARS researchers and administrators located within the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center.

These tentative measures are being taken to test a decentralized implementation model whereby access to

electronic resources would be negotiated by and provided through NAL using single points of contact within the

cooperating organization. These contact points would be responsible for implementing the access methods most

appropriate for customers within their own organizations. Other valuable information such as variability in

licensing agreements and database usage statistics are being gleaned from this initiative. Further expansion and

continuation of this initiative will be contingent upon funding and the identification of practical logistical

methods of implementation.

Establish NAL's online version of AGRICOLA on Internet

 In May 1994, Beth Sandore, a visiting scholar from the University of Illinois Library, submitted her report

entitled, AGRICOLA Across the Internet--End User Needs. This study identified AGRICOLA's target audience,

examined the content and indexing practices of AGRICOLA as they relate to end user searching, analyzed the

functionality of systems that provided access to AGRICOLA at the time of the study, and suggested important

features and functions that should be included in an Internet-accessible front-end to the database. In the period

that followed this report, activities were undertaken to comprehensively identify the records comprising this

database and load them into a repository for future manipulation.

 In 1996, ARS Administration agreed that AGRICOLA should be made freely available via the Internet

despite the potential loss of revenue from AGRICOLA sale tape subscriptions. NAL management further made

the commitment to have this resource accessible by June 1998. Due to time constraints and a USDA-wide

moratorium on information technology expenditures, NAL's existing integrated library system and its web

interface were identified as the mechanism for providing this access. Through this interim solution, NAL will

have converted the entire AGRICOLA database into the MARC format which in turn will facilitate future

migrations to other systems.

Integrated Library System

 Although not addressed in the EII recommendations, NAL's integrated library system is a significant

component of its information technology infrastructure. The existing system was purchased as a turnkey solution

in 1987 using the VTLS, Inc. software application and running on a Hewlett Packard minicomputer with a

proprietary operating system. In 1992, the hardware was upgraded in order to improve system response time. The

system now supports NAL's acquisitions, cataloging, indexing, serials control, holdings, circulation, and

AGRICOLA tape production activities. It also serves as the online public access to NAL's collection and will

serve as the mechanism for accessing NAL's AGRICOLA. In response to anticipated challenges in providing

customers with documents from the NAL collection during the NAL building renovation, the document delivery

component also will be implemented by August 1998.

Continue & establish new cooperative efforts with other agricultural institutions

 In 1995, NAL in collaboration with several land-grant university libraries established AgNIC (Agriculture

Network Information Center) on the Internet to provide a focal point for worldwide access to quality

agriculture-related information, subject area experts, and other resources. NAL's specific contributions in

developing new resources include creating: AgDB which is a database that provides descriptions of and gateway

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linkages to more than 700 agriculture-related databases, datasets, and information systems; a directory which

provides gateway access to directories of subject-and geographic-focused directories of agriculture-related

information resources on the Internet; a Directories of Experts in Agriculture database; the AgCal Calendar of

Events, a calendar of agricultural meetings, conferences, and seminars with a focus on those of scientific

significance and that are national or international in scope; a searchable database of emerging plant disease

announcements of the American Federation of Scientists' ProMed-Mail mailing list in order to provide access to

this important information to those who would otherwise not have it; in collaboration with scientists of the ARS

Northern Plains Area Office, a prototype database which provides access to the scientific research performed by

Research Laboratories in the Colorado-Wyoming Region; and an ARS Sugar Beet Germplasm scientific dataset

prototype covering research data from Beltsville, East Lansing, Fargo, and Fort Collins. The AGRICOLA Subject

Category Code organization was incorporated into AgNIC's Directories of Experts in Agriculture, AgCAL

Calendar of Events entries for CY 1998, the "Other Calendars" section of AgCAL, and AgDB to assist users in

finding exactly the information they need. Another significant accomplishment was the 1998 migration of this

system from an NT platform to UNIX. This migration was deemed necessary to take advantage of the abundance

of UNIX-based web-enabling technologies and to conform to the platform used by the other AgNIC institutions.

 It also has been identified as a high priority for NAL staff to begin incorporating AgNIC activities into routine

NAL functions. Beginning with AgDB, NAL staff is redefining the data elements to facilitate the integration of

AgDB record creation into the routine cataloging workflow. Defining the elements, mapping existing elements

into the new ones, and determining the flow of these records through the OCLC/ISIS/AGRICOLA/AgDB/GILS

system are tasks presently being undertaken by an NAL-wide internal task force. It is envisioned that

implementation will begin by the end of calendar year 1998. Then, the system will be expanded to include input

from cooperative institutions. Some modifications may be made to the elements and the process once the system

has expanded to include other AgNIC participants.

 NAL and its collaborators also have submitted a multi-year proposal to the Fund for Rural America.

Technology related components of this grant include identifying and implementing a multi-server search engine

and defining the metadata elements used to describe resources retrievable via this engine. Other AgNIC initiatives

include: expanding AgNIC collaboration to additional land-grant universities and other institutions that have

expressed an interest in participating; initiating a marketing program to enhance awareness of the value-added

services available through AgNIC; contingent upon funding, conducting a customer needs survey; and contingent

upon funding, participating in the development of a subject-specific prototype agricultural information system to

benefit small-scale and limited-resources farmers.

Make NAL- and non-NAL-produced electronic information resources available

 During fiscal year 1996, ISD held a series of three web authoring workshops for NAL staff. The purpose of

these workshops was to expose interested staff to the concept of document structure and to the techniques of

HTML-encoding. Courses in HTML-encoding are now an integral part of NAL's training program and facilitate

the posting of documents on NAL's website. These courses will continue to be held as long as a need for them

exists.

 Since the inception of NAL's website, a subset of NAL-produced publications including policy and procedural

documents; bibliographies; the 1993 and 1994 Annual Reports; Information Alerts; and vol. 21 numbers 4-8 of

ALIN have been HTML-encoded and made Internet-accessible. Each area of the library has posted documents

and/or created databases relevant to its particular domain. Non-NAL-produced Internet-accessible electronic

resources have been incorporated or linked to as the needs were identified by NAL staff or requested by its

customers and stakeholders. The site has grown so large, in fact, that now the Web Management Team is taking a

step back to look at the existing structure and determine how it can be reorganized to better represent and make

accessible the information NAL is attempting to share. This along with re-designing NAL's home page and

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identifying an appropriate search engine are immediate initiatives the Web Management Team are undertaking.

 The activities of IMB's Imaging and Conversion Unit are being redirected to facilitate this and other efforts

related to the dissemination and archiving of electronic resources. In order to redirect the staff, existing text

digitizing commitments must be honored and completed as quickly as possible without negatively impacting the

quality of the products. The milestones for existing projects are: Curtis CD-ROM - anticipated project completion

in the spring 1998; Agronomy 4 - anticipated project completion in the spring 1998; Agronomy 5 - anticipated

project completion in the fall of 1998; and Food Irradiation 3 - anticipated project completion in the winter of

1998.

 In January 1998, ICU staff began encoding electronic versions of back issues of ALIN in order to make these

issues Internet accessible and to familiarize themselves with document structure and HTML-encoding. This is

seen as the first step in the process to produce NAL documents in SGML for further print or electronic

distribution. A related ongoing activity is that of the NAL AdHoc Committee on Electronic Publishing who are

working together and in collaboration with the Library of Congress to develop a Bibliography DTD to be used in

the creation of subject-specific bibliographies. In both of these initiatives, it has been recognized that a more

user-friendly, streamlined process must be developed for the creation of SGML-encoded documents. A near-term

priority is the identification of an electronic publishing suite that will facilitate these activities.

 The results of these activities along with those of the Electronic Preservation Initiative, the Bean

Improvement Cooperative project, and other NAL digitization efforts as well as NAL's archival responsibility for

the Journal of Extension have led to a significant growing collection of SGML- and HTML-encoded documents.

A system must be developed to methodically provide Internet access to these collections and to ensure the

long-term retention of these electronic resources. So far, some prototyping has been done using public domain

software and a number of demonstrations have been arranged to heighten the awareness of NAL staff on the

capabilities of various document management solutions. Next steps include working with the Electronic

Preservation Committee and the Web Management Team to identify and refine the requirements of such a

system.

Future Direction of Information Management

 Technology has changed since ISIS was originally purchased and many library management system vendors

(including the one currently supporting NAL's activities) have moved away from proprietary centralized solutions

to UNIX-based client-server ones. Despite the existing USDA moratorium on information technology

expenditures, internal library processes and products need to be re-evaluated to determine which capabilities

NAL's next generation library management system should accommodate. This re-evaluation will begin in 1998

with the resulting documents forming the basis for procurement activities. It is envisioned that implementation of

a new solution will begin in 1999 and continue through the year 2000.

 The use of ISIS as the vehicle for providing Internet access to AGRICOLA will provide NAL staff with the

opportunity to evaluate the merits of integrating this resource into its library management system as opposed to a

separate technology solution. The planning and implementation processes also have exposed staff to desirable

system and end-user capabilities and undesirable limitations. These along with a more formal six month

evaluation process will help guide the selection and implementation of NAL's next generation AGRICOLA.

 NAL's desire to create a uniform interface through which all of NAL's Internet-accessible resources can be

accessed may also play a major role in the selection and implementation of the next generation AGRICOLA.

Another initiative presently under consideration would evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of combining the

search and retrieval of SGML-encoded documents and bibliographic records using a Z39.50 compliant database

management package, search engine, and front end. This evaluation study also would examine the workflow and

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document management issues surrounding such a system. In implementing a long-term solution of this nature,

NAL's production library management system would be separate from one that provides public access to

electronic information.

A Note on Information Technology and Management Projects

Information technology and management projects derive from a number of sources. These sources include:

USDA, REE, ARS, and/or their affiliated information resource management organizations; NAL management

initiatives, end-user requests; and internal ISD tasks. The scope of these projects vary from the generation of

reports to the identification and/or development of new systems.

Project initiation and implementation also vary depending upon the source and the immediacy of the problem.

Those stemming from USDA, REE, ARS, and/or their affiliated information resource management organizations

usually entail the gathering and reporting of information, but can also include the implementation of new

administrative or office management systems or a re-evaluation of networking strategies. These are usually

mandated, have predetermined requirements, and have a finite schedule for completion.

Those stemming from NAL management are usually large-scale, resource intensive, and impact entire NAL

operations. They require NAL-wide commitment for successful implementation. An example of such a project is

AGRICOLA98.

Internal NAL end-user generated projects enter the ISD workflow through the Request for ISD Assistance. These

requests are assigned priorities by the Associate Director responsible for the unit from which the request

originates. Occasionally, these requests stem from e-mail messages to Help, or phone calls to the ISIS support

line that are found to be more complex and resource intensive than anticipated. For the most part, Help and ISIS

support line messages involve trouble-shooting system difficulties that must be handled as quickly as possible and

are therefore not considered ISD projects.

ISD-related projects are usually technology driven and center on upgrading and maintaining the installed

hardware and software base and providing for its security. Some ISD-generated projects involve the testing of

new technologies for potential NAL implementation. The testing of new technologies, however, is often found to

be a lower priority than the many other information technology and management needs of the Library.

Recommendations for NAL's Management Team

 The Information Systems Division (ISD) has the responsibility of being cognizant of new and emerging

technologies related to NAL and to information technology and management, of developing and overseeing the

implementation of projects, and advising the Library on technology issues. The Associate Director is the conduit

for staff concerns and/or questions about technology and will periodically report on progress made in the areas of

information technology and management.

 Working with the various units throughout NAL and staying abreast of technology developments, ISD is in a

position to determine many of the information technology requirements of the Library. However, ISD also

depends on staff members to relay their needs and questions concerning technology issues. Two forms were

developed in FY 1997 to serve this need. The Request for ISD Assistance and the Request for Electronic

Resources. They have been successfully used since their implementation. A combined version of the forms along

with some revisions are expected to be made in FY 1998. More recently, a functional requirements procedure

document was developed which outlines the responsibilities of ISD staff and the user community in the

development of requirements for new information technology projects. While these procedures assist in the

processing of requests for technology and management assistance, it is imperative that a formalized approach be

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used to determine where NAL's resources will be spent.

 It is recommended that an assessment of information technology and information management (IT/M) issues

be conducted bi-annually in the months of November and May by the Management Team to determine long-range

goals. November is suggested because it follows immediately after the busy end of the fiscal year and still allows

for the obligation of funds to met needs. May is suggested because it provides the opportunity to redirect funds

within the fiscal year if necessary and it is a six-month separation from the initial fiscal year assessment. As part

of this assessment, the Associate Director for Automation will provide a status report on all IT/M projects. The

bi-annual sessions will allow the Management Team to confirm or reassess priorities and will foster greater

understanding of Branch or Unit specific information technology or management issues. It may also facilitate the

generation and completion of future requests.

 In addition to the bi-annual assessment, it is also recommended that new IT/M issues be discussed, as needed,

at the weekly Q2 meetings. This will provide an opportunity for all branches, task forces, and committees to

submit through their Associate Director all suggestions, concerns, and questions regarding information

technology and management as they may apply to NAL. To facilitate discussion and potential action, these topics

will be presented with:

● Problem Definition: A clear statement of the problem or need being addressed.

● Point of Contact: Contact information for in-house person who can provide additional information.

Current Operational Analysis: A description of the way in which tasks are now being done. This also may

include a statement of what cannot be done due to the limitations of current technology.

● 

Available Options: If known, provide information on how this problem has been resolved in other

institutions. Include source or contact information. If web-based, include URL.

● 

Potential Impact: Indicate other NAL units that may be impacted by implementing or not implementing a

solution.

● 

● Recommended Priority: The priority level that the originator thinks the project should be assigned.

 The Management Team will evaluate all presented issues and determine a priority for those slated for

immediate action as a project. This priority ranking will be incorporated with current projects. While the

coordination and/or implementation of many projects are the responsibility of ISD, projects may also be assigned

to PSD or TSD for coordination. The decision of assignment will be made by the Management Team. Projects

given to the Associate Director for Automation will be assigned to the appropriate ISD branch for implementation

or for further evaluation.

 Small-scale projects that can be implemented are those that can be done quickly, do not require special

resources, will not affect other projects or activities, and do not require special consideration or options.

Large-scale projects requiring further evaluation are those that are time intensive, require additional resources,

pose security risks, and need additional evaluation. If it is determined by ISD that additional evaluation is

required, the evaluation will be conducted by an ISD staff member who will work closely with the

point-of-contact. They will prepare information for the Management Team to further assess and determine a

priority. The research and evaluation conducted for each topic may vary. For example, topics requiring a

large-scale study will only be defined as such but will include an approximate cost and time line. Those topics

requiring less research or topics with which ISD staff has expertise will have more details reported. It is the goal

to provide to the Management Team information in these areas for each topic.

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Problem Definition: Formulate a clear statement of the problem or need and recommend a project

coordinator.

● 

Current Operations Analysis: Define the way in which tasks are now being done that will be automated by

the requested technology. This may include a statement of what cannot be done due to the limitations of

current technology.

● 

Available Options: Provide known alternatives for solving the technology need. Evaluate how each

alternative synthesizes with other library operations.

● 

Evaluation: The evaluation will be the development of a detailed functional requirements (process is

currently being developed by ISD) with the focus on expected performance not the method to be used. This

step may be delayed until after approval of the project by the management Team since it is usually a

lengthy process. When possible, a synopsis will be provided.

● 

Potential Effects on the Library and Associated Risks: Provide information on ways the technology may affect

the Library including organizational changes such as more dependence or independence among branches, facility

alterations that will be needed such as wiring and relocation of equipment, and staff and patron concerns about

changes in procedures and staff reduction that automation can bring. Information on the risks associated with

implementing and with not implementing the technology.

Resource Requirements: An estimate of staff and funds needed to implement and maintain the technology.

The current projects may be affected because of a need to redirect staff to a new project.

● 

Projected time lines: An estimate of the major milestones and projected length of time to complete. For

large-scale projects, time lines will be given for studying the technology and making a recommendation.

● 

Recommended Priority: A priority recommendation relative to other technology issues being considered

for implementation.

● 

 The Management Team will evaluate all proposed projects and provide a report to NAL staff. The report will

contain a list of projects in priority order, project coordinator, Divisions' points of contact, funds origination, and

any specific requests or comments. It is recognized that not all projects can be implemented due to resource

constraints. The Management Team will provide reasons for the ranking and include reasons projects were

delayed or rejected. Perceived advantages to each project will be included in the management Team's report

supporting their commitment on decisions.

Appendices

 Appendix A -- Status of EII Recommendations

 Appendix B -- Graphical Representation of the NAL Infrastructure

 Appendix C -- Project Plan for Catalyst 5000 Integration

 Appendix D -- Graphical Representation of BARC ARS Backbone Network

 Appendix E -- Windows NT LAN Planning Process

 Appendix F -- NT LAN Server Applications and Description of Application

 Appendix G -- Databases Available on EMC Servers

 Appendix H -- NAL Servers and Their Applications

 Appendix I -- Responsibilities and Qualifications for NAL Webmaster

 Appendix J-- Web Management Team Charter

 Appendix K-- Graphical Representation of Available Remote Access

 Appendix L -- Departmental Notice 3120-1, Technical Standards Architecture

Appendix X

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 Note: Other appendices reflecting IT policies will be added to this document.

Go to Appendix Y

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National Agricultural Library Assessment Report

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Appendix Y

USDA Blue Ribbon Panel on the National Agricultural Library

Task Group on Section D of

the Questions for Long-Range Planning

Members: Philip Hudson, Martin Apple, Austin Hoover, Robert Willard

CHALLENGES AND FUTURE THREATS FOR NAL OR ITS LEADERSHIP ROLE

 The NAL has an important role as the library of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Its most important role

may be that of being a leader in the field of agriculture information. To optimize its effectiveness in that role

NAL will need to focus on its expressed vision that "agriculture information will be more accessible to more

people through technology," and that "the NAL will lead in the information revolution by forging partnerships

and exploring new methods and technologies that advance open and democratic access to information."

We applaud the above vision set out by the NAL in its Vision statement, but see the NAL as struggling in its

fulfillment due to resource restrictions and competing expectations.

The Internet: The internet has created a challenge for all libraries. A rapidly growing user base prefers on-line

searching as a methodology for both speed and comprehensiveness. Libraries have played an historically

significant role as places where information resources are stored and accessed. The internet has changed and will

continue to change the way research is conducted and needs for knowledge are, and can be, fulfilled. Continued

leadership in the internet field will require new perspectives, ongoing new ideas and understandings, and a

significant commitment of financial and human resources.

Visibility: NAL may be providing valuable services that are largely invisible to key decision-makers who affect

NAL.

Resources: Shrinkage of financial resources over the past several years has diminished the ability of NAL in its

leadership role. The library management system (software) is old; facilities are in need of repair; services have

not been able to keep pace. Federal budgets for agency programs and services (non-entitlement) have been

restricted for several years and will probably continue to be restricted in spite of projected surpluses.

Staff: Seen as a current strength of NAL, the question remains to how long NAL will be able to recruit and retain

top-flight staff with budgets shrinking in real dollar terms.

Market Adaptation: NAL action planning emphasis needs to be more emphatically shifted from data collection

and retrieval / broadcasting into addressing and satisfying a wider spectrum of customers' changing needs for

information, analyses and knowledge management.

I. 

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Information has no value if it is not used; its value is measured by its use. However, there needs to be a measure

of the "future value" of some information, a novel Net Present Value estimation. The current costs associated

with the retention of unused information can be justified by some measure indicating that some of the information

be retained now will not have value (be used) until years in the future.

Strategic choices: The role as USDA's library is assumed as a baseline requirement for NAL and well within its

capacity. Leadership in the field of agricultural information requires difficult strategic choices. What resources

will be allocated to NAL the place, what resources to on-line services versus physical texts, what toward

preserving historical treasures versus advancing new knowledge?

 AGRICOLA, for example, has served as a leading solution for agriculture researchers. More recently it is not

delivering up to expectations in some user's eyes because shrinking budgets have created gaps that compromise

its value. Researchers are increasingly turning to alternatives, sometimes much more costly. What steps could be

taken by NAL to receive some of all of the differential revenue that users are willing to forego when they seek

such alternatives?

Advocates: NAL lacks a strong constituency to lobby for resources.

DEFINING AND SATISFYING THE CUSTOMER BASE

The future of customer groups needs to be assessed, along with potential competition to satisfy their needs, to see

where the NAL niches may be developed or strengthened. This matrix needs data & conclusions, including

determining the different strategies that are best for each basic types of user:

Customer Segments What type of

Services do they

need now?

What will they

need in the

future?

What

competition may

serve these

needs?

NAL's strengths in

this niche, both

present and possible

in future

ARS

Other USDA

FDA

Other Federal

Education

Institutions

 Land grant, 1890

 Priv. Coll, K-12

Agribusiness

Small Farmers;

Extension Services

NGOs; Non-profit

Organizations

Professional Associations

International

There is a need to enhance NAL marketing and marketing research on changing customer needs. Regular surveys

of customers, prospective customers, and other stakeholders are needed in order to reallocate resources and

II. 

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optimize services. Perhaps the Friends of NAL might be a source for such ongoing research that might be

otherwise encumbered if attempted by traditional federal channels.

Alternative Customer Segmentation

 Alternative customer segmentation should be developed for two purposes: first, to be able to understand and

capture both newly emerging types of users and newly emerging areas of need for information, and second, to be

able to better develop new areas of expertise withing the nAL to ensure that NAL maintains its leadership. It is

more important to have the ability to appreciate and understand early the changing needs of customers than to

pick easy-to-document categories that mask the emerging trends and require NAL to redeploy more resources to

catch up. One such example is shown below.

Customer Segments What type of

Services do they

need now?

What will they

need in the

future?

What

competition may

serve these

needs?

NAL's strengths in

this niche, both

present and possible

in future

Res Scientists - ARS

Res Sci-entomology Res

Sci-pathology Res Sci-soil

science Res Sci-genomics

Res Sci-nutrition Res

Sci-food safety, etc.

Res Sci-Other

Government Mangers

Business Managers

Extension Agents

Campus Librarians

Other Librarians

Agribusiness-crops

Agribusiness-animal

Small Farmerss-crops;

Small Farmerss-animals

Economists

Grad Students

Other Students

Foresters

Ecologists

Biotechnologists

Historians

Informatics

Legislators

Knowledge Management

Etc. Etc.

III. NAL LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS

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 The leadership challenge facing NAL might be highlighted by focus on a grid of strategic choices between

on-line versus physical texts and historical research versus research that advances new knowledge. It is in the

quadrant of on-line approaches that create and advance new knowledge where we believe that the most critical

and expanding leadership role can be played by NAL.

This leadership role for NAL might mean focusing on a Knowledge Management approach that would facilitate

the value, growth and use of new agricultural knowledge.

This leadership direction might be best served by turning the NAL basic paradigm from the biggest and best

collection of knowledge into the most rapidly evolving and effective processes for gathering and distributing

agricultural knowledge.

Some other possible leadership roles could be:

■ Facilitation of dialogue of researchers on topics of new knowledge

NAL could be an effective partnet with the other National Libraries and other leading experts in creating

uniquely effective new search engines/search processes in agriculture;NAL's future Expert Search

software, designed for agriculture, could lead all other national libraries in effectiveness.

■ 

■ Teaching agriculture knowledge management processes to colleagues in the field

STRATEGIC DIRECTION - OPTIONS FOR NAL

Serve as the hub in a differentiated information network that includes land grants, other universities,

company libraries and topical www networks.

A. 

Premier expert assistance on Ag research is an important NAL service to university libraries. Expand this

important staff resource by recruiting specialists in important knowledge fields and train them in library

sciences as subject specialists.

B. 

Organize NAL services better for customer segments using "market managers" who would advocate for

services to meet those customers' unique needs, market to those customers, and build constituent support

among those customers.

C. 

IV. 

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Focus on what is not indexed elsewhere and do a good job at that. Work out cooperative agreements with

the States to index state agricultural publications.

D. 

Select leadership niches (e.g: develop the [online] intelligent search system that always most rapidly and

most accurately provides the most useful answers to the most diverse range of knowledge searchers).

E. 

Develop funding strategies for various services. As each NAL's service becomes exemplary, construct user

fees to support that service. Benchmark against services such as Chemical Abstracts. Inform and mobilize

constituent groups to secure funding for certain services.

F. 

Explore long-term loan/donation of rare book collections to the LOC or universities with interest in

historical agricultural research, especially if they can attract private sector endowments to maintain and

display.

G. 

Coordinate the vocabulary/definition/classification/organization of agricultural information, regardless of

where it is.

H. 

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