Subject: National Agricultural Library upgrades Online Public Catalog

From: "William B. Thomas" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2003 09:52:08 -0500

National Agricultural Library upgrades AGRICOLA Online Public Catalog

Contact: Len Carey (301) 504-6778

[email-masked]

BELTSVILLE, Md., December 8, 2003 - The National Agricultural Library (NAL)
has released a significant upgrade to its Web-based AGRICOLA catalog of
records for the materials in its collection. The new version of AGRICOLA
provides improved access--many new search and retrieval capabilities, with
daily updates--to over 4 million bibliographic records, the world's largest
compilation of agricultural information.

The new AGRICOLA catalog, which replaces AGRICOLA98, is one of several
modules implemented in NAL's migration to Endeavor's Voyager library system.
In addition to a search and retrieval engine for AGRICOLA, the new Voyager
system supports NAL's acquisitions, serials control, cataloging, indexing,
and circulation operations.

Other features of NAL's new AGRICOLA catalog include:

    * Users may search the catalog of books, journals and non-print items;
search the catalog of article records for the journals indexed; or search
the two catalog databases combined.

    * Users may choose either to display results of searches, or to e-mail
the search-results to themselves.

    * Hotlinks enable users to obtain the full text of resources, where
available electronically.

Future enhancements to the new AGRICOLA will include user-initiated requests
for patrons who have document delivery and borrowing privileges. The
National Agricultural Library and Endeavor are working with Relais
International to develop a fully electronic request and delivery management
system linked to the AGRICOLA bibliographic and holdings records. NAL plans
to implement the document delivery system in late spring 2004
(www.nal.usda.gov/spevents/relais.html).

Access to the new AGRICOLA online public catalog is through
agricola.nal.usda.gov. Users visiting the former AGRICOLA98 address will be
automatically redirected to the new location.

The National Agricultural Library, located in Beltsville, Md., is part of
the Agricultural Research Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
chief scientific research agency. NAL is one of four U.S. national
libraries, and is known for an expert staff, extensive AGRICOLA
bibliographic database, leadership in information services and technology
applications, and strong collections in agriculture and related sciences.

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The Alternative Farming Systems Information Center

Collecting, Organizing and Distributing Critical Information for our Future

AFSIC is a dynamic collection and distribution center focusing on
sustainable, organic and alternative agricultural information.

AFSIC is staffed by a professional team of librarians and subject
specialists who facilitate rapid access to critical information resources on
alternatives to conventional agriculture.

AFSIC has been an integral part of the National Agricultural Library since
1985, and is a critical element of the overall USDA effort to insure a
sustainable future for American farmers and global agriculture.

Contact:

*       Phone: 301-504-6559 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m., M-F, EST)
*       Fax: 301-504-6927
*       Email: [email-masked] <mailto:[email-masked]>
*       Web: http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/

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