US National Agricultural Library Changes its Collection Policies

The US National Agricultural Library (NAL) announced it is changing how it develops its collection by shifting its emphasis to creating and acquiring digital items.

Library customers’ desire for fast online access to content and NAL’s goal of serving more customers nation-wide, coupled with declining use of print items, is charting a path toward digital items and away from print. Continued belt-tightening is also requiring the library to critically consider how best to spend its budget.

The complete story can be found at the NAL website.

China Agricultural Libraries Society Conference Report

The 2010 Annual Conference of Chinese Agricultural Libraries Society (CALS) on “Innovation and Development of Digital Libraries” was held in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province Oct. 25-27, 2010. The conference was organized by CALS together with other partners including Jiangxi Agricultural University, Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Agricultural Information Institute (AII) of CAAS. Over 80 agricultural librarians and information specialists from more than 20 agriculture-related institutions attended the conference.

On the theme of digital library innovation and development, a number of presentations were given at the meeting, including “International Agricultural Information Exchange and Sharing”, “Library Service Innovation in the Environment of New Technologies”, “Digital Library Service Innovation and Development in the Library of Beijing Academy of Agricultural Sciences”, “Digital Information Resources Publicity in Agricultural University Libraries”, and “Development Strategy and Service Mode in Agricultural Digital Libraries”. Also, the CIARD (Coherence in Information for Agricultural Research for Development) initiative and CIARD RING were introduced to the participants. Discussions were conducted on topics of significance for international agricultural information exchange and sharing, and how to promote and contribute to an international agricultural information sharing system.

The IAALD China Chapter distributed a Chinese version of new IAALD promotional pamphlets. As a result, participants had a clearer understanding of the IAALD mission, benefits of IAALD membership, and how to join the Association. A number of library representatives showed interest in IAALD activities. The IAALD China Chapter plans to follow-up by distributing IAALD membership forms to the related libraries to facilitate new memberships.

During the conference, participants extensively exchanged research findings, working experiences, and ideas in digital library construction and services and network information sharing. We believe the conference resulted in promoting the development of agricultural library services in China in today’s rapid changing information environment.

by Xianxue Meng, President, IAALD China Chapter

The Role of Libraries in Supporting Agricultural Policy Research in Nigeria

This short brief summarizes results from an IFPRI assessment of the capacity of Nigerian libraries within the National Agriculture Research System (NARS) to support agricultural policy research.

The main conclusions:

To support a transition to 'virtual libraries', the university libraries in Nigeria "need to develop appropriate infrastructure, strengthen their staff capacity, build consortia, and strengthen communications."

Infrastructure: The main impediments to Nigeria’s university library system are inadequate power and Internet bandwidth.

Capacity: It is evident that the staffing needs for supporting library users have not been met

Consortia: Efforts are needed to strengthen the few existing library consortia — or to develop a new consortium supporting agriculture research

Communication: The communication gap between library staff and faculty and students results in the underuse of library resources.

IFLA 2010: Current trends in agricultural information services for farmers

The agricultual libraries session of IFLA 2010 comprises the following contributions:

• Current trends in agricultural information services for farmers in Trinidad and Tobago/Caribbean - SHAMIN RENWICK (University of the West Indies, Agriculture and Life Sciences Division, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago)
• Information worlds of Chinese farmers and their implications for agricultural information services: a fresh look at ways to deliver effective services - LIANGZHI YU (Nankai University, Department of Information Resource Management Tianjin, China)
• An investigation into the use of ICT in the provision of agricultural information to small scale farmers in Harare - COLLENCE T. CHISITA (Information Science Faculty, Harare Polytechnic, Harare, Zimbabwe)
• Helping citizen farmers turn cities into gardens that serve multiple purposes - BARBIE E. KEISER (Barbie E. Keiser, Inc., Alexandria, VA, USA)
• Open access repository for the Brazilian literature on agroecology - MARIA DE CLÉOFAS FAGGION ALENCAR (Embrapa Environment, Jaguarína, SP, Brazil)
• Information to farmers: the role of CTA in facilitating agricultural information transfer to farmers and the work done by the Lengau Centre at the University of the Free State - ERNÉNE VERSTER (Programme for Agricultural Information Services (PRAIS), Library and Information Services, University of the Free State, South Africa)
• Farmer- oriented information services: an overview - DEVA ESWARA REDDY (Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA)

A 'Cyberary' at India's National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management

A novel concept and a new center of learning is the MANAGE Cyberary, which integrates the services of Information Technology and the Library to provide a single point access to information irrespective of the form in which it exists. Aptly named after Chaudhury Charan Singh, a farmers’ friend who struggled for the uplift of the farmers and the rural economy, the cyberary is a point for information acess and connectivity for the literate, semi-literate and illiterate alike.

The Cyberary integrates state of the art information technology with traditional services bringing together all the modes of the information system available in MANAGE into one integrated system. The focus is on providing a gateway for clients, to access information resources as well as network with the whole world on the Internet and through Videonet.

Agricultural libraries in Bangladesh

The journal 'Information Science Today' features three articles about agricultural libraries in Bangladesh:

• Networking of Agricultural Information Systems in Bangladesh (BD-AGRINET): A Model
  
• The role of Libraries for the development of human resources in the field of Agriculture in Bangladesh
  
• Library automation: A study of the AIC, BANSDOC and the National libraries of Bangladesh
  

Bibliotecas y acceso a la información es central para Forestal

Hablando en la Reunión RIBDA 2009 en Lima, Vanda Ferreira Dos Santos, responsable del el centro de información forestal de la FAO, reflexiona sobre el reciente Congreso Mundial Forestal donde, por vez primera, la información forestal fue una de los temas relevantes de discusión.

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Premiação do concurso das Minibibliotecas é entregue pela Embrapa em Brasília

O resultado dessa busca pelo conhecimento lhe rendeu o primeiro lugar no IV Concurso das Minibibliotecas, categoria Redação ensino fundamental. Nesta quinta-feira (22/10) ela esteve em Brasília (DF) para receber a premiação: certificado e um computador.

“O projeto das Minibibliotecas ajuda muito a gente. Os livros são úteis para ajudar na agricultura”, afirmou a menina.A escola vencedora foi a de Santa Catarina, que usou as Minibibliotecas para melhorar a segurança alimentar da comunidade indígena da região. “A nossa proposta foi melhorar seus hábitos alimentares”, explicou o professor Dirceu Mengale, responsável pelo projeto.

Minibibliotecas - O projeto Minibibliotecas da Embrapa foi criado em 2003, dentro das ações do Fome Zero. Inicialmente, foram implantadas unidades em escolas públicas localizadas em Municípios de baixo Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano (IDH), de oito Estados do Semi-Árido brasileiro.

Atualmente, o projeto atende a mais de 1.350 instituições de ensino público em todo o Brasil. Cada unidade recebe um kit composto por 108 títulos de cartilhas, 40 de CDs e 38 de DVDs numa prateleira de ferro. A coleção é elaborada com o apoio das unidades da Embrapa e de organizações estaduais de pesquisa agropecuária com variados temas desde educação ambiental, agricultura a pecuária. O material varia de acordo com a realidade regional.

O Concurso das Minibibliotecas tem o objetivo de estimular e reconhecer o trabalho desenvolvido por professores, alunos e comunidades a partir dos kits das Minibibliotecas.

Library 101: multimedia project on the future of libraries

Check out some video and essays on Library 101: looking at changes in libraries and what we need to do to ensure they remain relevant as technology and society evolve.

ICAHIS repository of animal health information papers

The 6th International Conference of Animal Health Information Specialists (ICAHIS) is in Melbourne in 2009.

On 3 September, Vicki Croft from Washington State University introduces the repository of papers from previous ICAHIS conferences - aavilable through the WSU Research Exchange. An excellent resource to find out what veterinary information specialists have been working on.

Other ICAHIS session descriptions at:

3 September
4 September - 1
4 September - 2

More postings on animal health

Biblioteca Digital Silvoagropecuaria contribuirá a promover una cultura de la innovación en Chile.

Una Biblioteca Digital cuyo objetivo es contribuir a promover una cultura de la innovación en el país, lanzó hoy la Fundación para la Innovación Agraria (FIA), del Ministerio de Agricultura. A ella se podrá acceder, en forma gratuita, a través del sitio http://bibliotecadigital.innovacionagraria.cl/

Esta iniciativa se enmarca dentro de la Plataforma de Servicios de Información de I+D+i para el Sector Silvoagropecuario (www.innovacionagraria.cl) que FIA tiene en funcionamiento y cuya meta es fortalecer la competitividad de la agricultura a través del desarrollo de contenidos aportados por distintas entidades nacionales e internacionales proveedoras de información.

Además, es parte del trabajo que hace años viene desarrollando FIA para impulsar el fortalecimiento de capacidades en gestión de información agraria, programa desarrollado en conjunto con la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO) y con el apoyo de la Red de Información Silvoagropecuaria de Chile (RedAgroChile).

Desde la Biblioteca Digital se entregará acceso libre a consulta, descarga, lectura de información, publicaciones, fotografías y videos de los distintas iniciativas y programas apoyados por FIA.

“Este es un proyecto de modernización que incorpora las nuevas tecnologías en la gestión y difusión de la información pública”, explicó el subdirector FIA, Ricardo Isla.

Leer el artículo completo

Comunidades Autónomas en España: Software libre, Internet "a bordo", fiestas digitales y bibliotecas online.

Las comunidades autónomas en España se abren a Internet y a las nuevas tecnologías de la información (TIC) con iniciativas como el software libre gratuito, fiestas masivas para internautas, bibliotecas digitales o conexión a la red en el tranvía.

En efecto, el informe "Sociedad de la Información en España 2008", publicado por la Fundación Telefónica, evidencia que Internet cuenta cada vez con más y mejor presencia en las autonomías, gracias, entre otras cosas, a la implantación de la banda ancha.

Bajo el lema "Internet gratis para todos", Cantabria ha subvencionado su instalación gratuita durante todo un año en hogares sin red, mientras que Extremadura ha logrado que el cien por cien de su territorio tenga acceso a este tipo de conexión gracias al Plan de Extensión de la Banda Ancha.

Lea el artículo completo

Hacia una Biblioteca Digital Agropecuaria del INTA

Como organismo de ciencia y tecnología, el Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), necesita ordernar y publicar a la mayor audiencia posible sus productos.

Con una biblioteca digital se puede cumplir con este objetivo además de aumentar la disponibilidad y el acceso a los productos antes señalados.

Sin descartar las mejoras surgidas de la implementacion de Biblioteca Digital, se reconoce la importancia de subir un escalón más en la evolución, poniendo otro tipo de material digital, como videos y fotos, llegando incluso a digitalizar gran parte de la biblioteca para contribuir a la conservación del mismo.

Lea el artículo completo

Lista de trabajos presentados en la jornada de agroinformática JAIIO 2008

Qué es el SIDINTA? - el Sistema de Información y Documentación Agropecuaria del INTA

El SIDINTA es una red, coordinada desde el DDIB, de 53 bibliotecas de los respectivos institutos de investigación y estaciones experimentales de la institución.

El SIDINTA fue creado el 16 de junio de 1988 por disposición de la Dirección Nacional.

Sus objetivos: orientar la organización de la información bibliográfica y documental científico-técnica y socio-económica agropecuaria, contribuyendo al mantenimiento y aprovechamiento de los recursos bibliográficos, documentales y físicos existentes en las Unidades de la Institución;

Identificar, promover y difundir métodos y técnicas adecuadas para la recuperación y utilización de la información bibliográfica del sector.

Apoyar la generación y uso adecuado de bases de datos bibliográficas y estadísticas agropecuarias, procesando la información gerencial de orden institucional, destinada a aumentar la eficiencia y la acción sustantiva del INTA.

Listado de bibliotecas del INTA y otras instituciones agrícolas

Más : El Sistema de Información técnica del INTA

CGIAR Virtual Library: A vital tool to enhance access to agricultural research

A recent, closed access, article in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Information "provides an analysis of the content of the CGVLibrary, of the various information avenues it opens for improving access to agricultural research, and of how the tool is being improved and marketed to promote awareness and worldwide use."

More:

Blog posts on the CGVLibrary

Search the CGVLibrary

CGVlibrary blog

SIDALC: Sistema hemisférico de información agrícola cumple 10 años

SIDALC Sistema hemisférico de información agrícola cumple 10 años

Con más de 2 millones de registros de información compilados en una megabase de datos, cerca de 300 profesionales de la información congregados en una comunidad virtual y más de 25 mil visitas diarias, el Sistema de Información y Documentación Agrícola de América Latina y el Caribe (SIDALC) cumple este año su décimo aniversario.

SIDALC es un servicio internacional de información agrícola, pecuaria, forestal y ambiental que le permite a instituciones de una veintena de países del hemisferio compartir información y servicios informativos.

AGRI2000 reúne colecciones especializadas en agricultura y ciencias afines de 162 centros de información del hemisferio.

El sistema, que es administrado por el Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA), reúne en su megabase de datos AGRI2000 colecciones especializadas en agricultura y ciencias afines de 162 centros de información del hemisferio y es una ventana a otras bibliotecas de renombre internacional.

Más...

Hemispheric agricultural information service celebrates tenth anniversary

Agricultural information specialists from the hemisphere to meet in Costa Rica

The Agricultural Information and Documentation Service of the Americas (SIDALC), which operates a mega database comprising more than 2 million entries, brings together some 300 information specialists in a virtual community and receives 25 thousand hits on its Website every day, will celebrate its tenth anniversary this year.

SIDALC is an international agricultural, livestock, forestry and environmental information service which enables institutions in 20 countries of the hemisphere to share information services and provide access to their repositories of knowledge for others outside the region.

The Service, administered by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and coordinated by the Orton Commemorative Library, operates the AGRI2000 mega database, which contains specialized collections on agriculture and related sciences from 162 information centers throughout the hemisphere and provides access to other internationally renowned libraries.

More...

Animal health libraries, librarians, and librarianship

Vicki Croft at Washington State University has compiled a "comprehensive, international bibliography to works written about animal health libraries and by their librarians." Download the full text from the WSU Dspace.

El proyecto de Biblioteca Virtual del CGIAR

Carlos Saa, Coordinador de Sistemas de Información en la Biblioteca del CIAT, presenta el proyecto de Biblioteca Virtual del CGIAR (CGVLibrary) y porqué es importante para el CIAT.

La CGVLibrary - http://vlibrary.cgiar.org/

La biblioteca CIAT - www.ciat.cgiar.org/biblioteca/biblioteca_es/

Amapthèque - SIGB adapté pour les unités de recherche

OpenAmapthèque est un Système Intégré de Gestion de Bibliothèque (SIGB) spécifiquement adapté aux besoins des professionnels de l'information scientifique et technique dans les unités de recherche.

Ce logiciel a été spécialement conçu pour répondre aux besoins des structures de recherche. Il s'adresse à des professionnels de l'information scientifique et technique et à des non professionnels, gérant un fonds documentaire et les publications d’une unité ou d’un laboratoire de recherche.

En savoir plus:

Le logiciel OpenAmapthèque

Le site de l'unité mixte de recherche Botanique et bio-informatique de l'architecture des plantes (AMAP)