College and Research Libraries FOSTER E. MOHRHARDT and BLANCHE L. OLIVERI A National Network of Biological-Agricultural Libraries Efforts to gain systematic control of the entire range of biological and agricultural literature are reviewed. In view of the need manifest therein, an efficient network of biological-agricultural libraries is being developed to serve the science communities in those fields. M ED LARS is already operational, and N AL is now developing a network in the bio-agricultural fields. Problems in the way of its satisfactory establish- ment are discussed, and the elements of such a system are enumerated. INTRODUCTION THE 1966 CONFERENCE of the American Library Association sat at the center of two concentric circles. The smaller or inner circle, covering greater New York, includes one of the most significant con- centrations of books and libraries of all times-at least 30 million volumes. The New York public library, the Columbia University library, the ten to twenty other significant academic library collec- tions plus more than one thousand out- standing special libraries provide a scope and depth of information that is in many ways incomparable. Our second circle, with a radius of 250 miles, en- compasses the Harvard-Cambridge-New Haven area in the north and the Wash- ington, D. C. metropolitan area library complex in the south. Within this larger area the number of volumes has doubled to more than sixty million and the range and depth of subjects have measurably ~ncreased. Sitting in the center of this library affiuence we might assume that all is well in the scholarly library field Mr. Mohrhardt is Director of the Na- ~ional Agricultural Library and Mrs. Oliveri is Assistant Director for Coordination Ser- !Vices. This paper was read to the Agricul- ~ure and Biological Sciences Subsection of iACRL in New York City on July 14, 1966. and that practically any research work- er's needs can be met in this relatively confined geographical area. The director of the Columbia University library, Richard Logsdon, viewed with pride the strength of these collections in the great- er New York area, and reported in can- dor last year: But lest you be lulled into believing that all is well in the library world, let me now give the specialist reader's view. With all of these resources, libraries are still falling short of meeting the full demands of read- ers, in these days of upgraded elementary and secondary curricula, new specializations at the ~ollege and university level, and the incredible expansion of research, particular- ly in the sciences. At Columbia, for exam- ple, I cannot think of a single field in which members of the faculty could not find us lacking in significant source material,l We who work in the larger circle with a sixty to seventy-five million volume total recognized the fact that many of the needs of research workers, scholars and students are unmet by all of these collections. As the horizons of interest of our scholars and students increase, and as the production of papers and publica- 1 Richard H . Logsdon, " The Vast Resources of New York City and the Developments Which Will Occur in the Next Decade" (A privately printed ad- dress of April 15, 1965) , p. 14. /9 10 I College & Research Libraries • January, 1967 tions double in output with predicted regularity, most libraries have recog- nized their individual inability to meet even a share of their users' requirements. We will have to redouble our efforts and rechallenge our ingenuity and im- agination to maintain even our present levels of service. There are many nights when we go home from our libraries wondering if there are any boundaries to the quest for information. William 0. Baker, one of our greatest scientists and research directors, says, "Unlike material consumption-of food, clothing, housing, even, perhaps, of automobiles-there is probably no limit to human needs for knowledge."2 Many of us today are aware of the fact that new paths must be opened and new approaches developed in the field of librarianship. Librarians for several dec- ades have been aware of the fact that the handling and servicing of publica- tions has become a problem beyond the competence of conventional systems. It has only been in the last decade how- ever, that scientists and research workers recognized these difficulties. Librarians and scientists also know that individual efforts are no longer suf- ficient, and that regional and national programs are needed to handle success- fully the requirements of research work- ers, students, and others. BIOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE The American Institute of Biological Sciences established in 1960 the Biolog- ical Sciences Communication Project to "study, define, and improve the flow of fundamental and applied biological in- formation from the scientist producer to the scientist consumer."3 The project's proposals, particularly as they applied to the national scene, were 2 William 0. Baker, "Communication Science-Today and Tomorrow," in Science and Society: A Symposium (Rochester, N.Y.: Xerox Corp., 1965), p. 100. 8 AIBS. Biological Sciences Communication Project. Communique, 1-61 (June 1961 ), 2. probably too advanced and comprehen· sive for the early 1960's. Unfortunately, they were not put into operation. The project is now a part of George Wash- ington University and still serves as an effective center for research, education, and special studies in the biological sci- ences communication field. Looking for a broader base of biolog- ical representation, a new effort to in- ventory, evaluate, and systematize the national handling of biological informa- tion was initiated in a conference on communications for biology held at Cherry Hill, New Jersey, November 1965. The conference participants were carefully selected to cover comprehen- sively the whole field of biology, from the central core of basic, discipline-ori- ented biology to the mission-oriented and more applied fields of agriculture and medicine. Among the recommenda- tions made at the meeting that apply particularly to librarains are the follow- ing. IX. That biological vocabularies or the- sauri including definitions and hierarchical structures be developed under the joint ef- forts of scientists, science information spe- cialists and societies for use in indexing and handling of biological publications and communication .... X. That it be the responsibility of the federal government to insure acquisition and reasonable availability in the United States of all significant publications in biol- ogy from any part of the world. A. Reasonable availability includes ( 1) prompt cataloging of publications, ( 2) an express announcement in English fot all titles of publications collected, ( 3) plus selective dissemination of this title information. All services should be pro vided by utilizing existing organizations both public and private. The prime ob jective is to facilitate rapid transmission of copies of original documents to thE individual through a local institution a minimal cost. B. A Council at the national :Ievel should be urged to assume over-all responsibil A National Network of Biological-Agricultural Libraries I 11 ity for implementation of this program in · cooperation with the appropriate bio- logical organizations and societies. Spe- cific delegation of broad subject areas should be made, utilizing as document sources the National Library of Medicine and the National Agricultural Library and recognizing outstanding specialized collections that have been developed at local institutions, such as exist in mam- malogy, ichthyology, mycology, bryol- ogy, and photosynthesis. XI. That library services to the biologist at the local level must be immediately strengthened and local libraries must be , brought into the national planning at an early stage so that they can provide better services. That academic and other research in- stitutions recognize the need for adequate- ly supported library service in developing all research programs, and that federal as- sistance for research include provision for libraries.4 In addition it was proposed that a net- work of libraries, data centers, documen- tation centers, and information centers be implemented to carry out the con- ference recommendations and meet the needs of biologists for information. It is to librarians that the biologists have directed their request for aid. We are the specialists who are expected to provide solutions. LIBRARY NETWORKS-A NATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY Today we can readily recognize the problems, identify broad needs, and sub- scribe to the idea of a national bio-agri- cultural network. The difficult problems arise in designing, organizing, and op- erating an efficient network of informa- tion services. Since the organization of the American Library Association al- most .a hundred years ago, libraries in this country have been utilizing most of the fundamental elements necessary for 4 Conference on Communications for Biology. Cherry Hill, N.J.: Nov. 22-23 , 1965. Report. pp. 7-8. an effective network. We have a na- tional interlibrary loan system, stand- ardization of catalog cards through the Library of Congress, codes and rules for subject headings, storage centers, and arrangements for division of collecting responsibility in some subject fields. Yet each of these elements now in operation contains exceptions, limitations, and de- ficiencies that can be improved only by broader planning and better structuring. Every current major study of libraries, information services, and communica- tion has pointed to the federal govern- ment as a major factor in stimulating, supporting, and organizing networks for these services. As Adlai E. Stevenson pointed out in a discussion of science and technology: Electricity had been harnessed :fifty years in the United States before it was put to work on the farm. It was political will that put it there. It was political initiative which built TV A, the Grand Coulee Dam, the super highways, years after we knew how. It was a political trigger which started the huge programs of research in science in universities and private industry.5 Let us tap this political potential to serve us in network development! J. C. R. Licklider, who has recently studied library potentials, also directs us toward federal interests. What has the federal government's appara- tus for scientific and technical information to do with "problems in information re- trieval"? Three things: First, it has prob- lems, large and deep, which it is mounting a vigorous effort to solve. Second, it offers to scientists and engineers a great and valuable informational resource that is much less well known and well understood than it should be among some of the peo- ple who could best use its help and who could best help it. And, third, the inte- gration of national resources in the informa- 5 Adlai Stevenson, "Science and Technology in the Political Arena" in Science and Society: A Symposium (Rochester, N.Y.: Xerox Corp., 1965), p. 7. 121 College & Research Libraries • January, 1967 tion field must involve both the federal re- sources and the resources outside the gov- ernment .... 6 In private conversation with me he has pointed out that- The MEDLARS project at the National Li- brary of Medicine, the network of ~tate based information centers to be established under the State Technical Services Act of 1965 the Atomic Energy Commission and Nati~nal Aeronautics and Space Admin- istration computer-based abstracting and in- dexing services, the new computer-based chemical information system of the Chem- ical Abstracts Service, and the numerous information evaluation and analysis centers are all examples of large-scale information transfer experiments which will lead to im- proved systems design and integration. What have we established thus far? First, that individual libraries and even small groups of libraries are no longer .adequate for the general needs of re- search workers, scientists, and students. Second, biologists and agriculturalists have now directly challenged us to find the techniques and methods to give them ready access to the totality of world information in biology. Third, within the tradition of American library experience we have the basic elements for a national network or system. Fourth, the role of the federal government in li- brary support and stimulation has been well established during the past decade. Fifth, many government agencies now have specialized networks providing in- formation which can be fed into the total biological-agricultural network. Where do we go from here? The National Library of Medicine, through its MEDLARS project and other activities, already has in operation an experimental network for the broad health-centered fields. The National Agricultural Library is now developing e J. C. R. Licklider, "Some Problems in Information Retrieval" (A paper prepared for presentation August 27 1965 at the Western Computer Conference in San Fr~ncisco ) . the base for a broad nationwide bio- agricultural library network. Before out- lining the steps already taken by the National Agricultural Library it is neces- sary to reemphasize certain guidelines that must be accepted by all of us if we are to progress rapidly in a shared, co- operative, effective national netw?rk.. Network Planning and Orgamzatwn. A functioning national network for bio- logical-agricultural information will re- quire: ( 1) formalizing of agreements and arrangements between the partic- ipating libraries; ( 2) increased sharing of responsibilities; ( 3) increased co- operation in acquisitions; ( 4) standard- ization of procedures; ( 5) re-educati<?n of users. Much of what we are referring to here has .also been discussed in library circles under the rubric .. compatibility." CoMPATIBILITY Librarians are individualists. For al- most one hundred years we have uti- lized various types of standardization and classification: subject headings, cat- alog card format, etc., yet each library introduces modifications and elabora- tions for its own particular needs. A national network for biology and agri- culture will require us to review these individual modifications and determine which are necessary and which are merely traditional and perhaps out- moded. The standardization of our li- brary activities leading toward a high degree of compatibility will cause the first feeling of uneasiness on the part of cooperating librarians. We object to being cogs in a machine or merely pur- veyors of packaged objects, but these ob- jections are not necessary. In .a recent talk, William Welsh of the Library of Congress reminded us that- Although standardization of certain elements of catalog card data has been realized since the advent of the LC printed card in 1899, maximum benefits to be derived from such standardization have not yet been achieved. A National Network of Biological-Agricultural Libraries I 13 Despite evidence of increasing use of LC cards . . . there is also present more than a strong suspicion that many, if not most, libraries adapt the LC card to render it compatible with their system. The era of automation creates the op- portunity to re-examine the present biblio- graphical record and to produce a machine output of that record which will serve the needs for which libraries exist and hope- fully, thereby, eliminate or markedly re- duce the inefficiencies implicit in "adapta- tion."7 The confrontation between librarians and computers is taking place today and the relationship between the com- puter systems and the librarians at the Library of Congress and the National ·Library of Medicine fail to show any impairment to library service through computer usage. The National Library of Medicine, with a computerized cata- loging system now in operation, reports that both the users and librarians are well satisfied with the new services. For the purposes of this paper and to eliminate a factor that can overshadow the fundamentals of network develop- ment, we will not involve ourselves with the problems of computer usage and mechanization of the system. These are tools that will be used as the system de- velops. At this time they are not the bas- ic elements of the system. ELEMENTS OF THE SYSTEM If the Agriculture and Biological Sci- ences Subsection of ACRL should de- cide to assume responsibility for aiding in the development of a national bio- aaricultural network, it will immediately 0 be necessary to define the scope of the following elements: 1. A national plan. This would involve both immediate and long range ac- tivities. 2. Establishment of a responsible agent or center for the system. 7 William J. W elsh, "Compatibility of Systems" (A paper presented at the Conference on Data Processing in University Libraries). Drexel Institute, 1965. 3. Establishment of a referral apparatus. 4. Identification of financial support. 5. Delegation of responsibilities. There would be a need to formalize acquisi- tions policies, cataloging, services, and subject specialization. Those who have studied the general needs and bases for library networks have stressed the importance of explor- ing new fields of service in addition to the conventional handling of books, jour- nals, other published information and bibliographies. Since the local librarian under a standardized network system would be relieved of many routine con- cerns about limitations of acquisitions, cataloging, and the immediate availabil- ity of a wide range of subject informa- tion, new oportunities will be present- ed at the local and regional level for li- brarians to develop challenging projects. These could include indexing in depth for special fields, selective abstracting, preparation of state of the .art or re- view papers, and the provision of more and better personal service to the cli- entele. In addition, opportunities would be open for libraries to handle a broad- er range of information including much unpublished information such as data, laboratory notes, unpublished symposia papers, etc. NAL NETWORK PLANS The National Agricultural Library's plan for a network is being developed in three phases. First, coordination with- in the Department of Agriculture. Sec- ond, formalized cooperation with agri- cultural universities and experiment sta- tions. Finally, cooperative arrangements with all other biological-agricultural in- formation units. The library's coordinator of scientific and technical information works with counterparts in each agency of USDA. All department agencies make ·a pre- clearance check before preparing exten- sive bibliographies and translations and 14 I College & Research Libraries • January, 1967 report to the library any studies, sur- veys, or projects involving vocabularies or research and development in scientif- ic communication and documentation. Agricultural Vocabulary Project. A basic authoritative agricultural/biolog- ical vocabulary for information storage and retrieval of published literature and unpublished research is well under way. This will serve the entire Department of Agriculture, the land-grant univer- sities as well as other government-wide vocabularies which have interests in these fields. In November 1965 our first agricultural-biological subject category list was published. The list consists of fifteen major fields which are further di- vided into ninety-eight groups similar in structure to the COSA TI subject category list. This framework provides subject ap- proaches for both published literature and unpublished research reports. Early this year we were fortunate in securing the cooperation of four land-grant in- situtions (Pennsylvania State U niver- sity, Purdue University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Uni- versity of Wyoming), each of which pro- vided the services of a librarian to assist us in developing the basic vocabulary. Our next steps are evaluation and build- ing the reference structure. Scientists in each of the major disci- plines covered by the vocabulary will now evaluate the terms and provide us with an approved basic list. At the same time we will be developing specialized lists such as taxonomic names .and names of chemical substances. The basic vo- cabulary should be issued by June 1967. Library of Congress Classification Scheme. Publication of the Dictionary Catalog of the National Agricultural Li- brary, 1862-1965, made it possible for the library to change the classification scheme it had been using for the past one hundred years. Correspondence with the land-grant institutions showed a trend in agricul- tural libraries toward using the Library of Congress classification scheme. There- fore, we changed to the LC schedules in January 1966. Now two of the na- tional libraries .are using the same sub- ject classification. Future Plans . We have now reached the point where we are making more extensive contacts with universities, ex- periment stations, and industrial instal- lations in furthering the cordination of agricultural information. We recently sent a questionnaire to i all libraries of land-grant universities and experiment stations to gather pre- liminary data for developing an agri- cultural network. (I) We are trying to identify the state services which are pro- vided to federal employees headquar- tered within the state. For example-are direct routing, lending, reference, or bibliographic services being provided USDA employees? (2) We want to find out which libraries will be willing to assume archival and national service responsibilities . for state and county bureau publications, and for state, coun- ty, and municipal publications produced within their state. ( 3) We .are also try- ing to identify various subjects or geo- graphic areas for which libraries will assume similar responsibilities. An additional activity essential to a network is an inventory of agricultural information resources · throughout the country. Over three hundred and forty have been identified within the Depart- ment of Agriculture alone. Our attention is now directed to other governmental, academic, industrial, and historical in- stitutions. This provides potential com- ponents of the network bases for refer- ral activities. We hope to eliminate un- necessary duplication, to expand essen- tial areas, and to tailor our future ac- tivities in accordance with recommenda- tions received. Decentralization Concept. We have two formal agreements already executed. A National Network of Biological-Agricultural Libraries I 15 The University of California at Davis has assumed national responsibility for agricultural machinery catalog acquisi- tion and servicing. The Tennessee Val- ley Authority has assumed national col- lection and servicing of publications on fertilizers. The Davis agreement represents our first cooperative endeavor, and makes available the most comprehensive col- lection in the United States of agricul- tural machinery catalogs and related materials. The TV A agreement was a logical follow-up to the Department of Agriculture's termination of most ferti- lizer research and the TV A's national responsibility and capability for per- forming such research activities. Both agreements provide for assump- tion of national responsibility for acquir- ing and disseminating pertinent infor- mation. They will provide national bib- liographic, reference, and interlibrary loan services. OTHER ACTIVITIES The ultimate aim of the National Agri- cultural Library is to make possible the utilization of tapes provided from its mechanized system, and an interchange of tapes within the bio-agricultural net- work. The library's system is progressing on a phased basis. The monthly and annual author in- dexes of the Bibliography of Agriculture were automated in August 1964. The programing and testing of the subject index system is underway, and will pro- vide for the first time monthly subject indexes to the Bibliography of Agricul- ture in addition to the annual cumula- tion. Automation of the citations them- selves, scheduled for 1969, will permit the preparation of periodic bibliogra- phies on specialized subjects, selective dissemination of pertinent scientific in- formation, and responses to demand searches. The Pesticides Infmmation Center, which is currently issuing a computer- produced permuted title index, will change over to the new computer-based system being developed by the Da- tatrol Corporation. The new Pesticides Documentation Center will include a re- trieval system for special bibliographies and demand searches, with selective dis- semination if warranted. Eventually we hope to have on file and to service a user profile for any bio- agricultural institution in the country which desires selective dissemination to be made from the total mechanized sys- tem. DISCUSSION Several questions immediately arise as a result of this discussion and the sum- mary of our program. First, we probably will have to determine who would be the initial participants in such a system. For practical purposes it would prob- ably be best to limit the initial partic- ipants to land-grant universities and other major agricultural libraries, or to mount a smaller more varied pilot proj- ect. Next a determination will have to be made concerning the extent of cover- age and service. Since the network is primarily a practical device, a priority should be established for the types of materials to be handled in the system. For example how would we arrange priorities for the following: 1. Would it be best to begin the net- work for service on publications most used? 2. Or would it be preferable to special- ize on those least used? 3. How about the publications that are hardest to identify and acquire? (For example, symposia and conference pa- pers.) 4. What is the interest in publications that are hardest to handle because of their size and other factors? 5. Report literature? 16 I College & Research Libraries • January, 1967 6. Theses? 7. Newspapers? 8. Basic and comprehensive historical collections in subject fields? 9. Rare books? These and others must be examined be- fore we establish priorities. A network arrangement can give valuable assistance in solving our serious storage problems. As long as we work independently or with highly informal and indefinite exchange and cooperative programs, each library is faced with a mounting problem of storage of publica- tions. Under an effective national net- work system, however, we never need to concern ourselves, since we have a continuing certainty that someone holds responsibility and will have .available for us the publications whenever they are needed. INTERNATIONAL As our circle widens we must look to- ward a truly international network. The National Library of Medicine is already furnishing its tapes to special libraries in various European countries and is ex- ploring the possibility of contracting for bibliographic and abstracting aid abroad. We in agriculture are greatly depend- ent upon services from other countries in bibliographic a,nd abstracting fields. The Commonwealth Agricultural Bu- reaux furnishes the widest abstracting in agriculture. We also utilize abstracting and indexing services issued by the USSR, the Netherlands, France, Ger- many, .and Japan. The nucleii for an eventual international system will be strong national agricultural-biological li- braries, or in some instances regional organizations set up to provide expand- ed library services. In the agricultural field highly effective regional groups are now operating in Latin America, the Scandinavian countries, the "Socialist countries," and in Great Britain. Other elements in the eventual network will be subject-oriented centers such as the In- ternational Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, which is already serving as an international center. Leadership for the establishment of such an international system can be ex- pected from the International Associa- tion of Agricultural Librarians and Doc- umentalists, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and our own National Agricultural Library. The World Congress of Agricultural Librarians and Documentalists, held in Washington last year with represent- atives from thirty-five countries, record- ed its urgent wish to take the first steps toward an international bio-agricultural network. Each country is as eager to share its intellectual resources as it is to call upon those of other countries. We have a need, we have an interest, and we have an enthusiasm on the part of librarians and those they serve in every part of the world. The National Agricul- tural Library is ready to move today in the establishment of the first phase of both the national and international net- works. • •