*Not all papers were submitted for publication, but some are still expected to be received. Full papers are being published in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Information, edited by Robyn C. Frank (Head, Information Centers Branch, NAL), and published by Haworth Press, Inc, 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, New York 13904-1580. Abstracts are arranged in the order papers were presented at the USAIN conference. Additional abstracts will be included in future ALIN issues if available. For photos of the speakers see those in the conference report on the preceding pages.
Eric Lease Morgan
Systems Librarian, North Carolina State University
This paper describes three qualities, readability, browsability, and searchability of
useful information systems. Information systems are defined as any collection of
information. Thus World Wide Web (WWW) servers are information systems. Readability is
defined in terms of good page layout and design. Browsability is achieved by the effective
organization of a system's information into categories. Advantages and disadvantages of
purely browsable systems are outlined. Searchability is described in terms of its
advantages and disadvantages as well. Using all three of these qualities thoroughly,
information systems can be useful and effective. Brief descriptions of how these qualities
can be implemented in WWW servers are then outlined, specifically through the use of the
hypertext markup language (HTML), database applications, and two Wide Area Information
Server (WAIS) gateways: kidofwais.pl and SFGate.
David E. Shipley
Dean, University of Kentucky, College of Law
The rights and interests of authors, compilers, database creators, and copyright owners
are colliding with the rights and interests of educators, scholars, researchers, and
librarians on the information superhighway. Copyright law effectively balances their
competing rights and interests in traditional forms of expression and communication, but
copyright's effectiveness is tested in our fast changing digital era by the ease with
which ideas, information, and copyrighted materials can be reproduced, modified, linked,
and transmitted to many persons in an instant. Recommendations for changes in copyright
law have been made, but many persons believe that the balance is shifting too far in favor
of the rights and interests of copyright owners. The debate over the appropriate balance
between these competing rights and interests in cyberspace will continue with the
expansion of the information superhighway.
Debra L. Currie, Agriculture Reference Librarian, Louisiana State University Libraries
In response to financial pressures resulting from escalating serials prices and severe
budget constraints, LSU Libraries have launched a complete and comprehensive evaluation
and redesign of its serials collection. The Serials Redesign Project is an innovative
approach to the serials review process using electronic document delivery to facilitate
the integration of access and ownership. Library liaisons help promote faculty acceptance
and support, which will be crucial to the success of the project. Background information,
the project methodology, faculty responses, and preliminary results for two pilot studies
and for the Agriculture departments are presented.
Patricia M. Rodkewich
Reference Librarian (Agricultural Economics), University of Minnesota (St. Paul)
and Louise M. Letnes
Librarian, Waite Library, University of Minnesota (St. Paul)
This paper discusses the building of a full text database of working papers produced by
agricultural economics departments in U.S. universities. The authors propose to collect,
index, and publish these papers on the Internet (WWW/GOPHER), making them searchable and
immediately available for electronic transfer to the computer of any researcher requesting
them.
Stuart McLean
School of Library and Information Science, University of Pittsburgh
[Presented by Kenneth Sochats]
Discussion of the development of an Internet-accessible image database. This project
integrates free-text search with menu-based field value selection to access data from an
Object Oriented Database Management System. Alternative models are explored and the
implications of using the World Wide Web (WWW) as the chosen solution are considered.
Issues of maintaining a virtual library of transient or dynamic documents are introduced.
Susan G. Schram
Food and Agriculture Program Coordinator, CIESIN and Project Manager for the USDA Global
Change Data Assessment and Integration Project, Washington, DC
and William W. Wallace, Senior Systems Analyst, CIESIN, Terrestrial Ecosystem Regional
Research and Analysis (TERRA) Laboratory, Fort Collins, CO
The United States Congress has become increasingly concerned that the agricultural crops
of economic importance in the United States could be significantly stressed by global
environmental changes, and has recognized that USDA databases can provide significant
information for policy makers and resource managers to use in addressing this problem.
This paper describes three years of progress in a project designed to identify USDA global
environmental change information, [including datasets, models, and Geographic information
System (GIS) applications], assess the quantity and quality of this information, and make
metadata concerning this information widely available electronically. The project also
addresses the preservation of data at risk of being lost, and ways to integrate
information for the assessment of specific issues.
Constance J. Britton
Librarian, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Ohio State University,
Wooster, Ohio
In 1993, the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center became an agricultural
information provider on the Cleveland Free-Net, the first community-based computer system.
The benefits of participation have been increased visibility for the Center among the
citizens of northeast Ohio and an opportunity to help meet the information needs of the
Free-Net users.
Patricia M. Rodkewich
Reference Librarian (Agricultural Economics), University of Minnesota (St. Paul)
and Jean Albrecht
Forestry Librarian, University of Minnesota
The Forestry Library of the University of Minnesota produces four bibliographic databases
which are mounted on a Gopher server and are available to researchers over the Internet.
The four databases are Social Sciences in Forestry; Urban Forestry; Tropical Forest
Conservation and Development, and Trail Planning, Construction and Maintenance. The four
databases cover subjects which, because of their interdisciplinary nature and pattern of
publication, tend to receive poor coverage in the standard forestry databases. These
databases reflect the collections of the University of Minnesota.
Barbara Lazewski
Senior Academic Librarian, Reference, Steenbock Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Internet resources used in one-hour drop-in sessions on "Internet Resources in
Agriculture and Life Sciences Using the World Wide Web" at Steenbock Library,
University of Wisconsin-Madison, are described. Covers subject arranged sites and guides,
article indexes, and specialty sources such as NetVet.
USAIN's next national conference will be at Tuscon, Arizona, April 3-5, 1997.
The International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists (IAALD) and the
NAL/Central and Eastern European Agricultural Library Roundtable will also be meeting at
the same time and place.
Mark your calendars.