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Dear IAALD member,<br><br>
In my last message I indicated that we are experimenting with a blog to
capture news items and stories concerning the practice of agricultural
information (generally defined).<br><br>
Please find below a selection of recent items posted to the blog (you can
also view them at
<a href="http://iaald.blogspot.com/" eudora="autourl">
http://iaald.blogspot.com</a>)<br><br>
As you (hopefully) look at these, please take a minute to send us some
feedback: <br><br>
1. How many of these items are interesting or relevant to you? Or
not?<br><br>
2. We can send a similar message to this list each time an item is added
to the blog (roughly 4 times a week); or we can send them out each month
(or some other frequency). Which frequency would you prefer (to avoid
overloading your email inbox)?<br><br>
3. Please alerts us to your interesting news items or announcements by
sending an email to this list, or to "info@iaald.org"<br><br>
I repeat that this is still an experiment for which we need your feedback
and contributions. If you would like to be part of the IAALD blogteam (no
prior experience is necessary), please contact me.<br><br>
Many thanks<br><br>
Peter<br><br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<font size=2>Peter Ballantyne, President of the International Association
of Agricultural Information Specialists (IAALD), email -
peter.ballantyne@iaald.org<br><br>
<br>
</font>--------------------<br>
AgInfo News:<br>
--------------------<br>
<h1><font size=3><b>Conference: Information for Responsible Fisheries
</b></font></h1><font size=3>From 10-14 October 2005, the
<a href="http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/nefsclibrary/2005iamslic/2005home.html">
<i>International Association of Aquatic and Marine Science Libraries and
Information Centers</a></i> will meet in Rome, Italy. Entitled
"Information for Responsible Fisheries: Libraries as
Mediators", the meeting will focus on the creation, use, and
understanding of innovative information management techniques and
technology, both existing and emerging, which facilitate easy and
equitable access for target audiences. The Conference will explore the
role of libraries as mediators in providing access to the complexity of
information required and the opportunities and challenges for securing
access over the long term. Navigating the issues of Open Access and the
intricacies of Open Archives requires new skills as well as stronger
collaboration between libraries.<br>
<br><br>
</font><h1><b>Conference: Frontiers in Forest
Information</b></h1><font size=3>From 5-7 December 2005, the Oxford
Forest Information Service holds a
<a href="http://www.plantlib.ox.ac.uk/forestry/events.htm"><i>
conference</a></i> to celebrate 100 years forest information from Oxford.
The story will be told in an accompanying exhibition, showcasing the
achievements of the long collaboration between Oxford University, the
International Union of Forest Research Organizations, CAB International,
FAO and other partners, and highlighting future opportunities, including
the developing Global Forest Information Service. Pre-register now for
full details, reduced rates, and information on submitting a paper.<br>
<br><br>
</font><h1><b>Re-scoping the AGRICOLA database </b></h1><font size=3>The
US National Agricultural Library has started a process to
"re-scope" the
<a href="http://agricola.nal.usda.gov/">AGRICOLA</a> database - one of
the world's leading indexes of agricultural information. You can
contribute your thoughts and feedback via the
<a href="http://agricolabrainstorm.blogspot.com/"><i>AGRICOLA brainstorm
blog</a></i> set up by USAIN.<br><br>
<br>
</font><h1><b>Improving agricultural education information exchange in SE
Europe</b></h1><font size=3>Twelve agricultural information specialists
from South East Europe (SEE) recently met in
<a href="http://management.usab-tm.ro/awsee/Godollo%20Workshop.html"><i>
Godollo</a></i>, Hungary to enhance e-communication among agricultural
education institutions within the countries of the SEE Region, and
evaluate the possibilities to develop further the AgroWeb sub-portal
structure. Organized by FAO and the Agroweb
(<a href="http://www.agrowebcee.net/"><i>www.agrowebcee.net</a></i>),
participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia,
Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, and Slovenia as well as other
partners active in the region attended the meeting. <br>
<br>
Participants agreed to cooperate to: Create a Web-based platform for
information exchange (AgroWeb education platform) between the education
institutions within the SEE region; extend the Library and Information
Centres sub-portal within the AgroWeb Network; better exploit and promote
open access tools on the AgroWeb; with IAALD, enhance library and
information networking among the professionals and institutions in the
region; explore possibilities to organize the tenth CEE or pan European
Agricultural Library Roundtable in cooperation with IAALD in Budapest
(2006 or 2007); improve the Food and Nutrition sub-portal, also including
World Food Day activities in all countries in this sub-portal; introduce
a new Land-related sub-portal; introduce a new sub-portal on Animal
Welfare; establish an expert working group to address technical issues
regarding the AgroWeb (standardization); prepare conditions to implement
WAICENT content management tools on the AgroWeb sub-portals; increas use
of national-language information services on country portals; exploit
AgroWeb as a teaching tool for students at different levels of higher
education.<br>
<br><br>
</font><h1><b>ICT training needs in East and Central
Africa</b></h1><font size=3>The ASARECA Regional Agricultural Information
Network just published the
<a href="http://www.asareca.org/rain/index.php?option=publications&Itemid=1&task=full&catidid=14">
<i>report</a></i> of its assessment of ICT/ICM (information and
communication management) capacities and related training needs in the
region. The authors found a general lack of institutional ICT/ICM
policies which, in turn, affect human resource policies, commitment to
ICT and ICM by managers - including execution of projects, establishment
and management of units, and status of ICT/ICM staff. These deficiencies
lead to a wide diversity of training needs - fortunately, it seems that
most training needs could be satisfied with resources available locally,
in-house, in the country, or in the ASARECA sub-region.<br><br>
<br>
</font><h1><b>ICT-KM News from the CGIAR</b></h1><font size=3>The July
2005 <a href="http://ictkm.cgiar.org/html/news_jul2005.htm"><i>ICT-KM
Newsletter</a></i> reports on progress in three areas: ICT for Tomorrow's
Science (improving CGIAR connectivity); Content for Development (making
CGIAR information easily available); and A CGIAR without Boundaries
(helping the CGIAR collaborate, via new techniques and knowledge
management approaches). [Note: The ICT-KM Program of the CGIAR promotes
and supports the use of information and communications technology (ICT)
and knowledge management (KM) to improve the effectiveness of the CGIAR
System's work on behalf of the poor in developing countries.]<br><br>
<br>
</font><h1><b>IMARK module on creating digital
libraries</b></h1><font size=3>On 8th June, the FAO released the latest
IMARK (Information Management Resource Kit) training package aimed at
improving the management and sharing of agricultural information. The
<a href="http://www.fao.org/imark/modEintro_en.htm">Digitization and
Digital Libraries</a> module was developed in collaboration with UNESCO
to teach librarians and non-specialists how to digitize documents and put
them online to create virtual libraries. The new training package
complements an earlier IMARK module, "Management of Electronic
Documents", which introduces basic concepts in electronic document
management and describes specific workflows and topics. More information
on IMARK is at
<a href="http://www.fao.org/imark/">http://www.fao.org/imark/</a><br><br>
<br>
</font><h1><b>Agrarian information resources of the
Ukraine</b></h1><font size=3>A recent
<a href="http://www.fao.org/agris/Magazine/News_Items/Ukraine_EFITAArt.doc">
article</a> by Tatiana Deribon gives a comprehensive overview of
Ukraine’s agricultural information resources. She uses the terms
'agrarian information' to mean information on agriculture, food,
forestry, fishery, water management and aquaculture, environmental
protection, and other related issues. Her paper gives an overview of
Ukraine's agrarian information generators, lists publishing activities
(around 90 serial titles), and introduces the major information resources
and libraries of the country (275 plus agricultural libraries). Tatiana
concludes by pointing to the need to define a national leader in the
field of agrarian information which should provide a national web portal
to all agrarian information resources in the country. She also calls for
more effort to harmonize Ukraine’s bibliographic description of agrarian
research output with international requirements and for development of a
Ukrainian national agricultural ontology joined to that of FAO.<br><br>
<br>
</font><h1><b>Library developments at UK's
DEFRA</b></h1><font size=3>Kevin Jackson - Chief Librarian at the United
Kingdom Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
- shares recent developments in the July/August issue of
<a href="http://www.cilip.org.uk/publications/updatemagazine/archive/archive2005/julaug/jackson.htm">
<i>Update magazine</a></i> from CILIP. Since its formation in June 2001,
DEFRA took on board the responsibilities of the former Ministry of
Agriculture, Fisheries & Food (MAFF), environment protection,
wildlife and conservation activity from the former DETR (Department of
Environment, Transport & the Regions) and the animal welfare
responsibilities of the Home Office. Kevin's article explains how the
library and information service underwent external reviews, different
collections were merged, staffing was restructured, the collections and
services moved to being electronic, and marketing of the information
resource centre was stepped up.<br><br>
<br>
</font><h1><b>Sharing biotech information in the Philippines
</b></h1><font size=3>The Philippines Department of Agriculture recently
set up a
<a href="http://www.bic.searca.org/da-bin/index.html"><i>Biotechnology
Information Network</a></i> as part of a national advocacy project for
modern biotechnology. With the SEARCA Biotechnology Information Center as
lead agency, the project works with regional consortia within the country
to act as repositories of biotechnology information and nerve centers for
the awareness activities.<br><br>
The <a href="http://www.bic.searca.org/"><i>SEARCA Biotechnology
Information Center</a></i> itself was set up in 2000 as the hub of a
regional South-East Asian network for science-based information on
agricultural biotechnology. As such, it coordinates with regional and
national network nodes on the exchange, processing, packaging, and
distribution of agricultural biotechnology information, supports national
programs on agricultural biotechnology by providing strategic information
for decision-making, and synthesizes and packages science-based
information using appropriate formats. Its web site gives access to
current biotech news from the region, a list of recommended
<a href="http://www.bic.searca.org/links/index.html">online sources</a>
of agbiotech info, and a
<a href="http://www.bic.searca.org/photo_exchange/index.html">photo
exchange</a>.<br>
<br><br>
</font><h1><b>Information-seeking behaviour of Iranian extensionists
</b></h1><font size=3>A recent
<a href="http://informationr.net/ir/10-3/paper229.html">article</a> in
the e-journal <i>Information Research</i> identifies the reasons why
extension managers and specialists in Iran seek job-related information,
the information sources and communication channels they use, and the
barriers to seeking it. The authors - Gholamreza Pezeshki-Rad and Naser
Zamani from Tarbiat Modares University - found that interpersonal
communication with colleagues, in-service training courses, and
scientific-technical conventions were the top-ranked communication
channels. The top three most-used information sources were Persian books,
Persian scientific magazines, and scientific-technical reports. [Note:
More on this subject in the
<a href="http://www.joe.org/cgibin/htsearch?config=joe&restrict=&exclude=&matchesperpage=20&method=or&format=long&sort=score&words=information-seeking+information+seeking">
<i>Journal of Extension</a></i>.]<br>
<br><br>
</font><h1><b>ICTs contribute to agricultural and rural development
</b></h1><font size=3>Recent issues of
<a href="http://www.digitalopportunity.org/article/archive/7618/"><i>
Mainstreaming ICTs</a></i> - a bimonthly publication from OneWorld South
Asia - look at ways in which information and communication technologies
(ICTs) can be used to achieve the food and agriculture related millenium
development goals. The first issue from late 2004 looked at ICTs and
<a href="http://www.digitalopportunity.org/article/archive/7619/?preview=1?">
food security</a>; the fourth issue from April 2005 looked at ICTs and
<a href="http://www.digitalopportunity.org/article/archive/7622/">rural
livelihoods</a>, particularly in South Asia. According to an editorial
"ICTs could be seen as a meaningful ally in rural systems’ research
and development only when the tools facilitate the much desired
livelihood security in rural areas."<br>
<br><br>
</font><h1><b>EFITA e-newsletters </b></h1><font size=3>Guy Waksman at
ACTA Informatique in France distributes the <i>EFITA
<a href="http://www.efita.net/apps/accesbase/dbsommaire.asp?d=5013&t=0&identobj=RakMFTi0&uid=57305290&sid=57305290&idk=1">
e-newsletter</a></i> about IT in agriculture, the environment, the food
industry and rural areas.
<a href="http://www.efita.net/apps/accesbase/dbtoweb.asp?d=5113&t=0&identobj=022ZEuVG&uid=57305290&sid=57305290&idk=1">
Sign up</a> to announce (or track) events, products, web sites, or jokes
related to IT in agriculture. [Note: EFITA: the European Federation
for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment
(<a href="http://www.efita.net">www.efita.net</a>)].<br>
<br><br>
</font><h1><b>New IAALD Executive Committee elected in Kentucky
</b></h1><font size=3>At the 11th IAALD World Congress in Lexington, the
new <a href="http://www.iaald.org/officers.html">Executive Committee</a>
took up their role. The Committee contains several new faces as well as a
substantial 'carry over' from the previous Committee - which offers
valuable continuity.<br><br>
The officers in the new committee are: President (Peter Ballantyne),
First Vice President (Stephen Rudgard), Second Vice President (Dorothy
Mukhebi), Secretary/Treasurer (Toni Greider) and Editor (Debbie Currie).
Ordinary members are: Vielka Chang-Yau, Michal Demes, Elizabeth
Dodsworth, Elizabeth Goldberg, Barbara Hutchinson, Nick Maliha, H.V.
Mote, Takashi Nagatsuka, and Shuchun Pan. There are currently also two
Ex-Officio Observers representing Associations and Chapters: Ms. Keiko
Katsuragi (representing JAALD) and Mr. Federico Sancho (representing
AIBDA).<br><br>
The next meeting of the Executive Committee will be held in Rome on 22
and 23 October, 2005. Contact us at
<a href="mailto:info@iaald.org">info@iaald.org</a>.<br>
<br>
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See the IAALD pilot blog at
<a href="http://iaald.blogspot.com/">http://iaald.blogspot.com/</a><br>
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<br><br>
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