Call for Proposals: 14th World Congress of the International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists (IAALD)

The 14th IAALD World Congress programming committee is seeking proposals for papers, posters and interactive workshops. This year’s conference, Emerging Priorities for Scientific and Agricultural Information," will be held July 22-24, 2013 at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Submissions are due by December 1st, 2012.

Papers and Posters: Those wishing to present a paper or a poster should submit an abstract in English (maximum 300 words) online at https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=iaald13 (new users of the EasyChair software program will need to sign up for a free account).

Proposals should be tagged with at least two and up to five keywords from the provided tags. At least three additional author keywords are also required.

Interactive Workshops: The programming committee is also interested in hearing proposals for 2 hour hands-on workshops to be given at the conference. If you have expertise on a topic you think would benefit conference attendees and would like to lead a workshop, please submit a description in English (maximum 300 words) online at https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=iaald13 (new users of the EasyChair software program will need to sign up for a free account).

Authors will be informed of decisions on their proposals by January 15, 2013. All authors will be expected to give their papers, posters, and workshops in person at the IAALD World Congress. Scholarship information will be forthcoming.

Questions? Please email Jim Morris-Knower at iaald@cornell.edu

IAALD 14th World Congress Seeking Reviewers

The 14th IAALD World Congress programming committee is seeking proposal reviewers! This year’s conference is Emerging Priorities for Scientific and Agricultural Information.

Each reviewer will be expected to participate in the blind-submission process by reading submissions and provide a recommendation for acceptance. The review process will begin on December 1, 2012 and conclude on January 5, 2013.

If you are interested, please e-mail Jim Morris-Knower at iaald@cornell.edu.

New issue of Agricultural Information Worldwide is now available

The latest issue of Agricultural Information Worldwide, an international journal for information specialists in agriculture, natural resources and the environment,is now available.

The issue contains articles on researchers' publishing habits, information projects in Latin America and the Solomon Islands and use of extension information in Nigeria. The journal is published by IAALD and the contents and abstracts are freely accessible; articles are restricted to IAALD members and require a log in ID.

Information on IAALD membership can be found on the IAALD website.

Third IAALD Africa conference kicks off in Johannesburg

Today in Johannesburg, some 90 people participated in the 3rd IAALD Africa conference. Focusing on 'e-Agriculture for Improved Livelihoods and Food Security in Africa', the first sessions looked at uses of mobile phones in agriculture - with presenters reporting on experiences from India, Zambia and South Africa.

The programme is online

With support by CTA and the active involvement of young people participating in the ARDYIS project, the event can be followed live - try it out!


Twitter hashtag: #aginfoafrica

Recorded version of IAALD NING Webinar

The webinar presented by Peter Fernandez on December 1 was very well attended with over 20 people participating online and many others inquiring whether they could listen to a recorded version later on. Fortunately, Blackboard Collaborate (formerly Elluminate) allows for the recording and sharing of these webinars and Federico Sancho from IICA has kindly provided the link. IAALD's Executive Committee has decided to make these webinars openly accessible for anyone, however we might want start charging non-members later on.

Click here to listen to the webinar.

A similar seminar in Spanish will be held on December 6, 15:00 GMT-UTC by Miguel Hidalgo, Information Specialist, IICA.

Don't miss the IAALD Webinar on NING!

Here is the link for the IAALD Webinar on NING, Thursday, December 1, 16:00 UTC-GMT.

Participants are invited to log in at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the webinar, type their name, download Java 6, define connection speed, and check the audio. Once admitted to the Blackboard Collaborate (previously Elluminate) platform, use the CHAT to send us a short message with your name, institution and country.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn and to better connect with like-minded colleagues!

Presenter: Peter Fernandez, Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources Librarian, University of Tenessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

Date: Thursday, December 1, 2011

Time: 11:00 AM EST (16:00 UTC-GMT) check your time zone here

System Requirements
Pc-based attendees
Required: Windnows 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

MacIntosh-based attendees
Required: Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger) or newer

IAALD Webinar: NING to Connect Information Specialists Worldwide

In its continuous effort to connect people to people, IAALD is offering yet another webinar on December 1, entitled "NING to Connect Information Specialists Worldwide".

NING is a customizable social media platform used by IAALD - and many other communities - to facilitate communications among agricultural information specialists and their stakeholders.

Presenter: Peter Fernandez, Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources Librarian, University of Tenessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

Date: Thursday, December 1, 2011

Time: 11:00 AM EST (16:00 UTC-GMT) check your time zone here

System Requirements
Pc-based attendees
Required: Windnows 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

MacIntosh-based attendees
Required: Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger) or newer

Up to now all IAALD webinars have been free for everyone, but in the future non-IAALD members will most likely be asked to pay a small fee for attending.

Prospective IAALD member, Jaqueline Nnam, Ghana

Video Interview: Jaqueline Nnam works at the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), based in Accra, Ghana. She is attached to the Africa Adapt project and promotes Knowledge Sharing for climate change adaption. Her work involves the gathering, packaging and dissemination of information, as well as the brokering of relationships among practicioners in the field. She considers that associations like IAALD provide a very useful forum for sharing problems and for discussing strategies and ideas.

Prospective IAALD member Ann Mureithi, Kenya

Video Interview: Ann Mureithi works at AGRA the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and at the same time is enrolled in a Masters Degree on Agricultural Information and Communication Management (AICM) at University of Nairobi. While attending the Share Fair in Rome she discovered IAALD and decided to sign up as a member. She believes that the Association provides an ideal platform to connect with people around the world and to jointly discuss diverse agriculture related issues. Welcome Ann!

IAALD members working behind the scene

Video Interview: Marie José Jehl former CTA Information Manager and member of IAALD since 1990, is pleased with the Association's progress. The fact that the Association's journal Agricultural Information Worldwide has been moved to an open access platform four years ago, thus making its content accessible to anyone, and at the same time reducing printing and mailing costs, has been a big accomplishment. Marie José is translating all journal abstracts into French and has done so for the past 11 years. Many thanks Marie José!

Magdalena Marenga looks forward to IAALD-Africa 2012 Conference

Magdalena Marenga is the Senior Librarian at the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Namibia. She is interested in attending the IAALD Africa 2012 conference in Johannesburg to learn more about rural development and food security.

View the video

Dady Demby on CIARD in Africa

Dady Demby (Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa) speaking in Beijing on new directions forward for FARA and CIARD. Structures are in place, but there needs to be a focus on grassroots activity in Africa.

View the video

Marie-Claude Deboin explains CIARD for French-speaking countries

Marie-Claude Deboin, head of the Scientific and Technical Information Delegation at CIRAD, comments on sharing ideas with colleagues in Asia and from around the world at the CIARD Expert Consultation in Beijing, and on making plans to promote the initiative in French speaking countries.

View the video

Justin Chisenga announces the 2012 IAALD-Africa Conference

Justin Chisenga from FAO's regional office in Ghana, speaking from Windhoek, Namibia during the AIAEE-IAALD-INFITA international conference discusses ICTS and the upcoming 2012 IAALD Africa conference on e-agriculture.

View the video

Hugo Besemer discusses new CIARD directions

Hugo Besemer from Wageningen, Netherlands, speaking from Beijing CIARD Expert Consultation outlines CIARD framework and plans to expand beyond open source documents to include data and other resources.


View the video

IAALD Webinar on Mendeley

Video Interview: Luz Marina Alvaré from IFPRI Washington D.C. (one of the CGIAR centers) shares her experiences in using and promoting Mendeley with researchers.

Almost Famous Boost your research profile, collaborate and share using Mendeley

View more presentations from IAALD Community

IAALD Webinar sobre Mendeley

Entrevista por video: Luz Marina Alvaré del IFPRI en Washington D.C. (uno de los centros del CGIAR) comparte sus experiencias con el uso y la promoción de Mendeley.

Preparing for the XIV IAALD World Congress in 2013 at Cornell University

Video Interview: Jaron Porciello is chairing the Organizing Committee of the XIV IAALD World Congress, to be held at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, July 25-28, 2013. Mark it on your calendar!

Third IAALD Africa Chapter Conference - May 21-23, 2012

Video Interview: Justin Chisenga, President of the IAALD Africa Chapter working at the FAO Regional Office in Ghana invites to the Third IAALD Africa Chapter Conference, taking place from May 21-23, 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The conference theme is e-Agriculture for Improved Livelihoods and Food Security in Africa. More information is available from the web site www.iaald-africa.org. Abstracts should be submitted by September 30, 2011.

IAALD Webinar: Creating Websites on the Fly, June 24

IAALD is continuing with its successful webinars series. The upcoming webinar on June 24, "Decentralizing online publishing in your organization: Creating websites on the fly using Wordpress and Google", will be presented by Peter Shelton from IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute).

Please join us for a brief introduction on using Wordpress and Google Sites for project websites, online newsletters, group spaces, event blogs and other innovative applications. We also will discuss policies and practices for creating, launching and managing these sites and show how they can boost your organization's online presence.

These tutorials are designed to showcase web tools and applications and how they are used to support your work and it is our hope that participants will come ready to explore and discuss these topics with their colleagues in further detail.

Presenter: Peter Shelton, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Date: Friday, June 24, 2011

Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT check your time zone here

System Requirements
Pc-based attendees
Required: Windnows 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

MacIntosh-based attendees
Required: Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger) or newer

Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/870299622

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

Up to now all IAALD webinars have been free for everyone, but in the future non-IAALD members will most likely be asked to pay a small fee for attending.