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NAL is the primary provider of work-related agricultural information to USDA employees. We also lend books and other media and provide photocopies of material in the collection, that may not be readily available from other sources, to libraries and other select groups. In addition to this page, also see Common Questions regarding Requesting Library Materials.
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Eligibility
The following two groups are eligible to submit requests for article copies or book loans directly to NAL. If you are not affiliated with one of these two groups, see All Others below.
1. USDA Employees
- Requests are limited to job-related research.
- Employees eligible for service from a local library, such as Agricultural Research Service or Forest Service field libraries, should make use of these resources before contacting NAL.
2. Libraries, Organizations, and Associations
- View fee information.
- NAL accepts requests from libraries and other organizations in accordance with the national
and international interlibrary code and guidelines. In its national role, NAL supplies copies of agricultural
materials not found elsewhere.
- Libraries should submit requests to major university libraries, national or provincial institutions,
or network sources prior to sending requests to NAL. If the publications are not available from these
sources, submit requests to NAL with a statement indicating their non-availability.
All Others
If you are not affiliated with one of the two groups listed above, you must submit your request through the interlibrary loan service of a library.
- In the United States, possible sources are: public libraries; state libraries; and land-grant university or other large research libraries.
If the publications are not available from your local library, have your library submit an interlibrary loan request to NAL with a statement indicating their non-availability from other sources.
- Outside of the United States, possible sources are: major university, national, or provincial institutions and
Agricultural Libraries Network (AGLINET) libraries
- As an AGLINET member, NAL provides free document delivery service for materials published in the United States to other members.
- To access the AGLINET website, go to www.fao.org/library and choose "Partnerships-Networks."
Effective July 1, 2007 NAL discontinued the direct service document delivery program for special affiliated food and nutrition programs which was previously supported by an interagency agreement. After that date, individuals who previously used this service should submit requests through the interlibrary loan service of a library as described above. More information... |
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Registration
In order to submit a request directly to NAL,
eligible customers must have a patron identification (ID) number. Note that libraries do not need a patron ID if they are submitting a request through the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) system or the National Library of Medicine's DOCLINE system.
- You can register anytime using the online registration form (open the form).
- Your patron ID and login information will be e-mailed to the address you provide on the form.
- Registration forms are processed Monday to Friday (except federal holidays) from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm eastern standard time.
- Have you forgotten your ID? E-mail us (open e-mail web form) or call 301-504-5717.
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Request Options
There are four options for requesting copies or loans of materials in the NAL collection:
- Request using the AGRICOLA form.
- Request using the blank web form.
- Request using DigiTop (limited to USDA employees).
- Request using OCLC (NAL's symbol is AGL) or DOCLINE (NAL's library ID is MDUNAL).
Options one to three require login with a patron ID; see registration. Detailed instructions for submitting requests are provided on the How to Request Materials from NAL page.
Rush Requests
NAL cannot process requests as a rush. NAL's turnaround time for processing copy and loan
requests is two business days from receipt of request.
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Delivery Options Delivery options are listed below. The default delivery method for copies will be e-mail post to web unless you request a different method. Both the AGRICOLA request form and the blank web request form provide the option to change your default delivery method for a particular request.
Materials that are incompatible with electronic delivery will be delivered as follows:
- Loans of books or other original materials - U.S. Mail, library rate
- Articles longer than 30 pages - Mail or interoffice mail
- Articles that cannot be effectively scanned due to large page size or the condition of the material - Mail or interoffice mail
E-mail Post to Web
- Articles are posted as Portable Document Format (PDF)
files on an NAL
web server and the requester is sent an e-mail message
containing a link to the requested document.
- A PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view documents delivered via this method.
- This delivery method
is limited to documents of 30 pages or less.
E-mail Attachment
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Articles are scanned as PDF files and delivered to the requester as e-mail attachments.
- A PDF viewer such as Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to
view documents delivered via this method. The average page size for PDF documents can vary from 50 to 150+ Kilobytes, resulting in a large file attachment.
If delivery of large files is a problem within your local e-mail system, e-mail post to web delivery may be a better alternative.
- This delivery method is limited to documents of 30 pages or less.
Ariel
- Articles are delivered via Ariel, a commercial software package which sends
and receives documents as Tagged Image File Format (TIFF)
or PDF
files over the Internet.
- Ariel must be installed on
the requester's workstation in order to use this delivery
method. Ariel is produced by Infotrieve and information
on obtaining and using Ariel can be found at the
Infotrieve
site.
- This delivery method is limited to
documents of 30 pages or less.
Fax
- Articles are delivered to your local fax machine.
- This delivery method is limited to documents of 10 pages or less.
Mail
- Articles are sent via regular or USDA interoffice mail.
- Loans are sent via Federal Express.
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Copies, Loans, and Interlibrary Borrowing
Copies
- A single copy may be provided, in lieu of loan, from materials in the NAL collection.
The decision to make a copy is contingent on normal 'fair use' provisions of copyright (view copyright notice) and the condition of the original material.
- NAL cannot process requests as a rush. The turnaround time for processing copy requests is two business days from receipt of request. There is a limit of 50 pages (30 pages if sent electronically) for each item requested. See Delivery Options for
information on delivery methods for copies.
Loans
- The standard loan period is 28 days.
- NAL does not loan materials outside of North America.
- NAL cannot process requests as a rush. The turnaround time for processing loan requests is two business days from date of receipt.
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Audiovisuals
- NAL does not offer advance booking services for audiovisuals.
- NAL recommends submitting requests one to two weeks ahead of time if you want to obtain audiovisual materials for a specific show date.
- Non-circulating materials
- The following materials are non-circulating: Serials (except for USDA serials); rare, reference, and reserve books; maps; microfilm; microfiche; and proceedings of conferences or symposia.
- Although these materials may not be borrowed, requests may be filled in the form of a microform or paper copy, subject to normal 'fair use' provisions of copyright and evaluation of the condition of the original material. Please indicate on the request form (in the Notes field) if a copy of the material is acceptable in place of a loan.
- You may also request a copy of the table of contents in order to request
specific chapters or sections at a later date.
- Renew/return materials
- Borrowers are responsible for returning (or renewing) materials promptly.
- To request a renewal, call (301) 504-5798 or e-mail us (open e-mail form) prior to the due date.
- Return materials to:
National Agricultural Library
Collections Services Branch, Photolab
10301 Baltimore Avenue
Beltsville, Maryland 20705-2351
Interlibrary Borrowing
- If the requested materials are not available at the NAL, we will try to obtain them from another source. Note that this service is
limited to USDA employees and USDA libraries.
- Turnaround time on interlibrary loans varies depending on location and availability of materials. If a current item cannot be obtained through borrowing, NAL will attempt to purchase it, which also adds to the turnaround time.
Including a "Not Needed After" date on all requests is essential.
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Onsite Requests
At the Abraham Lincoln Building, Beltsville, Maryland
NAL is located in the Abraham Lincoln Building (see Visiting the Library for directions and information on hours).
Visitors may request materials to review or copy in the Reading Room on the first floor.
Additional information is provided below.
Access to the collection:
NAL has closed stacks. In certain cases, exceptions may be made to allow limited access to the stacks. Prior to your visit, contact the Access Services Librarian at (301) 504-6041 or e-mail us to inquire about obtaining stack access privileges.
Requesting materials:
Onsite visitors can request up to 35 items per day to review/copy in the Reading Room. Requests are submitted through AGRICOLA (NAL's catalog).
In order to submit a request, you must first register for a Patron ID. A registration form is available through AGRICOLA on any computer in the Reading Room. After completing and submitting the online registration form, please wait five minutes and then go to the Service Desk on the first floor and a staff member will give you your Patron ID.
Borrowing materials:
Individuals affiliated with any of the following groups may request to borrow materials while visiting NAL:
- USDA employees
- Retired USDA employees
- Eligible participants in the CIRLA (Chesapeake Information and Research Library Alliance) Direct Reciprocal Borrowing Agreement. Under this agreement NAL agrees to extend direct, reciprocal, in-person borrowing privileges to faculty and graduate students from CIRLA member universities and researchers and fellows from CIRLA member federal agencies. Faculty and graduate students requesting direct borrowing privileges must present a completed CIRLA Direct Borrowers Form from their home library.
If you are affiliated with any of the above groups and you want to borrow materials while visiting NAL, you must:
- Request the materials using the onsite request system described above.
- Once you have the materials you want to borrow, bring them to the Service Desk. The Service Desk staff will determine if the materials can circulate and charge the items to your Patron ID.
All other visitors may use materials onsite only. To borrow materials you must submit requests through the interlibrary loan service of your local library, such as a public library or university library. Your library will send the request to NAL. NAL fills most requests within two business days after receipt.
Personal copying/scanning equipment: Requests to use personal copying/scanning equipment will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Contact the Access Services librarian at 301-504-6041 or e-mail us prior to your visit to inquire about using personal copying/scanning equipment onsite at NAL.
At the DC Reference Center, Washington, DC
NAL's DC Reference Center is located within the USDA Headquarters South Building (see Visiting the Library for directions and information on hours). USDA employees can submit requests for library materials using the public workstations located at the center. Registration and Request Options are the same as described above on this page. Requests will be processed within two business days of receipt. The default delivery method will be e-mail post to web. |
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Last Modified: Thursday, 12-Feb-2009 12:26:00 EST
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