FW: USDA Library Upgrades Online Catalog

**"Lon J. Rombough" l*@hevanet.com**

Something to put in your reference file.

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From: ARS News Service <NewsService@ars.usda.gov>
Reply-To: ARS News Service <NewsService@ars.usda.gov>
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2003 10:48:02 -0500
To: ARS News subscriber <lonrom@hevanet.com>
Subject: USDA Library Upgrades Online Catalog

STORY LEAD:
NAL Upgrades AGRICOLA Online Public Catalog

___________________________________________

ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Len Carey, lcarey@nal.usda.gov
December 10, 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 nonprint items;
search the catalog of article records for the journals indexed; or
search the two catalog databases combined.

* Users may choose to either display results of searches or 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 allow 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. Details are at:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/spevents/relais.html

Access to the new AGRICOLA online public catalog is through
http://agricola.nal.usda.gov/

Users visiting the former AGRICOLA98 address will be automatically
redirected to the new location.

NAL, 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.
___________________________________________

* This is one of the news reports that ARS Information distributes to
subscribers on weekdays.
* Start, stop or change an e-mail subscription at
www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/subscribe.htm
* NewsService@ars.usda.gov | www.ars.usda.gov/news
* Phone (301) 504-1638 | fax (301) 504-1648

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