Purpose
The repository was launched in April 2006 to provide access to the full text of publications digitized by NAL or through NAL’s partnerships. The majority of the publications available were published by the USDA. Examples include the Agriculture Information Bulletin, the Agricultural Economic Report, and the Yearbook of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Publications are added on an ongoing basis--check the Spotlights section of the home page for information on new additions or connect to the RSS feed. A complete list of full-text publications is provided on the Tables of Contents page.
Platform
The repository runs on ZyLAB's ZyIMAGE system, which includes optical character recognition (OCR) processing to convert the TIFF images into searchable text and a Web interface to display and print/download documents. Metadata and the text from the OCR processing are stored in XML files.
Metadata, URLs, and the Connection to the NAL Catalog (AGRICOLA)
The repository both borrows from and adds to AGRICOLA. The borrowing is in the form of metadata (such as author, title, year, pages), which is transferred from AGRICOLA records to the repository full-text publications. You'll see the AGRICOLA metadata in the "Document/Publication Details" which display above the full text.
The repository adds to AGRICOLA in the form of URLs, or links (see statistics below). A URL is added to the AGRICOLA record so that searchers can go directly from the record to the full text publication. The URL for each publication is included in the Document/Publication Details. The URL will begin with: http://naldr.nal.usda.gov/NALWeb/Agricola_Link.asp?Accession= and end with a combination of letters and numbers. For example: http://naldr.nal.usda.gov/NALWeb/Agricola_Link.asp?Accession=CAT87211703
Agriculture Handbook United States Department of Agriculture.
In general, the Agriculture Handbooks provide practical advice and information on a variety of agriculture and forestry-related topics. For example, titles in the series explain how to keep forest records, diagnose honey bee diseases, finish a wood exterior, apply insecticides. There are reference guides, such as those to particular insects (yellowjackets, tussock moth, coleoptera) and trees (balsam fir, southern pine), and manuals describing techniques and processes (cotton ginning, seed storage, sugarcane culture). NAL is in the process of digitizing all Handbooks in its collection, numbers 1 to 726,* including most of the revisions and updates. See Tables of Contents to browse the volumes. *Note: NAL does not have print copies and/or records for the following numbers: 407, 508, 555, 578, 580, 582, 591, 675, 686, 699, and 724. Handbook number 722, Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators, 2003, is available at: http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/arei/ah722/
Fruit and Vegetable Market News Reports (continued) USDA. Agricultural Marketing Service.
With continued funding provided by Fruit and Vegetable Market News, NAL is now digitizing price summaries and reports for specific produce markets, such as Atlanta, Philadelphia, Idaho, and Washington state. Browse the reports currently available.
Home and Garden Bulletin United States Department of Agriculture.
The Home and Garden Bulletin is a resource for all matters concerning the home. Bulletin topics range from selecting pots and pans to garden mulches to dietary guidelines to the sodium content of your food to managing personal finances. In 2004, the Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC) funded digitization of approximately 780 issues (most Bulletins are fewer than 50 pages and have been revised several times). Access to these issues is currently provided by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University (see USDA Home and Garden Bulletin Archive). NAL is currently processing the image files to add to the repository sometime in 2008.
Selected Books, Manuscripts, Articles, Reports and Images (ongoing project)
NAL digitizes selected books and other publications based on a number of factors, including available funding, the physical condition of the item, whether there are copies available in other libraries, whether it is a USDA publication, and the number of requests for loans or copies that we receive. Browse the books, manuscripts, miscellaneous Articles...currently available.
Technical Bulletin United States Department of Agriculture.
The main purpose of the Technical Bulletin series is to report the results of research and experiments conducted by USDA scientists. Many of the bulletins focus on a particular insect or pest, such as the European red mite or the Mormon cricket, or control of plant diseases, like barley smut and San Jose scale. NAL is digitizing the bulletins as funding becomes available. As part of its "Organic Roots" project, the Alternative Farming Systems Information Center funded digitization of approximately 186 Bulletins that were published before 1942 and relate to organic agriculture. Browse the Technical Bulletins currently available.
Description: In the mid-1800s, a Massachusetts entomologist accidentally introduced the gypsy moth (Ocneria dispar Linn.) into New England. The moth quickly became acclimated, exhibiting a voracious appetite for a large variety of shade trees and destroying entire fruit crops. This collection of publications addresses a number of topics concerning the gypsy and the related brown-tail moths, from biological control methods to tree banding to quarantine practices. The bulk of the documents were published from 1891 to 1923 by various agencies in the area of the initial infestation, including the State Board of Agriculture for Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island, but also include some more modern USDA publications. Digitized: 2,803 pages, 61 volumes Completed: September 2008 Funded by:The National Invasive Species Information Center Access: Select "Historical Gypsy Moth Publications" from this list ; see also USDA Division of EntomologyBulletin numbers 11 and 26
Journal of Agricultural Research (JAR) USDA. Agricultural Research Service.
Description: In 1913, as USDA reorganized and consolidated its publications, it became clear there was a need for a scientific journal where the research results of the Department and Experiment Stations could be published. Beverly T. Galloway, who was Assistant Secretary of Agriculture at the time, described the development of this publication in "The genesis of the Journal of Agricultural Research" and provided the foreword to the first volume, published in October 1913. JAR was issued from 1913 to 1949 (publication was temporarily suspended in 1921). NAL digitized all volumes in 1997 and provided access on the NAL Web site until they were migrated to the repository. Digitized: 72,202 pages, 78 volumes Completed: August 2008 Funded by: NAL Access: JAR volumes
World's Poultry Science Association Publications World's Poultry Science Association.
Description: The World's Poultry Science Association (WPSA), established in 1912, is one of the oldest international poultry organizations in existence. A group of 19 individuals from 14 countries decided to hold an international meeting of those involved in the poultry industry and poultry sciences. The First World's Poultry Congress was held in the Hague, Netherlands in 1921, where the idea of international cooperation was established. The main objectives of the association are to promote the advancement and exchange of knowledge in all areas of poultry science and poultry industry. Digitized: 27,410 pages, 33 volumes Completed: May 2008 Funded by:World's Poultry Science Association Access:WPSA Conference proceedings or International Review of Poultry Science
Fruit and Vegetable Market News Reports USDA. Agricultural Marketing Service.
Description: In 1916, the Bureau of Markets began a reporting system for carload shipments of all kinds of fresh or dried fruits and vegetables. The Bureau mailed a standard card-size report to about 25,000 agents of the various carriers that handle these commodities, with instructions to mail a card for each carload billed from their station. NAL has digitized the summary reports for fresh fruit and vegetable arrival totals, and unload totals, which are arranged by commodities, states, and months and include the annual shipment summaries for eastern, western, midwestern, and southern cities. Digitized: 22,957 pages, 269 reports Completed: 2007 Funded by:Fruit and Vegetable Market News Access:Browse the reports
Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture United States Department of Agriculture.
Description: The main purpose of the Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture was to summarize USDA’s research developments. However, the Yearbook, which was published (with a couple of exceptions) annually from 1894 to 1992, has a broad appeal outside of the scientific community. In fact, Congress passed a law to provide for its publication as part of an effort to make agricultural information more readily available to farmers and other interested citizens. Digitized: 72,865 pages, 93 volumes Completed: July 2007 Funded by:Rural Information Center and NAL Access: 1894 to 1937 or 1938 to 1992.
The Bean Improvement Cooperative (BIC) Digitizing Project
Description: The addition of the Bean Improvement Cooperative Annual Reports and the Bean Improvement Cooperative and National Dry Bean Research Association Proceedings Conference to the repository is one result of an 11-year collaboration between NAL and BIC. This new resource includes significant information about the improvement of bean varieties, production and processing that is not readily available elsewhere. Digitized: 9,800 pages, 52 volumes Completed: August 2006 (NAL continues to add the annual report as it is published) Funded by:Bean Improvement Cooperative and NAL Access:Annual Reports or Proceedings
The Rural Development Publication Digitizing Project
Description: The Rural Development Publication Digitizing Project was the first project added to the repository. It includes the full text of publications that relate to rural development in America, including such series as Rural Development Research Reports, Rural Development Perspectives, Agricultural Economic Reports, and Agriculture Information Bulletins, as well as selected Economic Research Staff Reports and the first 300 volumes of Agriculture Handbooks. Completed: February 2006 Funded by:Rural Information Center Access: see Tables of Contents page
