USDA Seeks Comments on National Agricultural Library Report

BELTSVILLE, Md., Aug. 16— The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued the task force "Report on the National Agricultural Library 2001" for 30 days of public comment.

USDA's National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board will review and consider the public comments in developing specific recommendations for the future management of the National Agricultural Library.

The "Report on the National Agricultural Library 2001" is the work of a task force to assess the National Agricultural Library. The task force studied the mission, management, programs, and operation of the Library in pursuit of its legislated mandate to serve as the chief agricultural information resource of the United States.

The task force report is available on the World Wide Web from the National Agricultural Library web site at http://www.nal.usda.gov/assessment/ and also available for on-site review in the Reading Rooms of the National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, Md., and the D.C. Reference Center, Room 1052, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-7201. Notice of the public comment period was published in the Federal Register on Friday, August 16, 2002.

Comments concerning the task force Report may be sent by mail, fax, or E-mail. To ensure full consideration, submit comments by September 16, 2002 to Susan McCarthy, Technical Information Specialist, USDA, ARS, National Agricultural Library, 10301 Baltimore Avenue, Room 203, Beltsville, MD 20705-2351 or by FAX: 301-504-6951. Submit electronic comments to comments@nal.usda.gov.

The National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board advises the Department of Agriculture and its land-grant university partners on relevant policies and priorities and their effectiveness. The Advisory Board also provides customer input in strategic planning for the USDA Research, Education, and Economics mission area.

The National Agricultural Library is one of four national libraries and the principal source in the United States for information about food, agriculture, and natural resources. The Library's expert staff, large and accessible collections, and leadership role in information services and technology applications make it the world's foremost agricultural library.

The Library is part of the Agricultural Research Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.