AGRICOLA IND 92047816; presented at IAALD Symposium on "Advances in Information Technology", September, 1991, Beltsville, MD, The National CD-ROM Sampler: an Extension Reference Library is a multimedia CD-ROM product containing 14, 540 documents; 1,900 graphics; 71 comprehensive collections; 65 individual computer programs; and over fourteen minutes of audio. This product was developed through a cooperative agreement among the U.S. National Agricultural Library, Extension Service-USDA, Interactive Design and Development at Virginia Tech,and the University of Minnesota. The paper provides information on the design and development of this project. (original)
scanning technology, AGRICOLA IND 92047818; presented at IAALD Symposium on "Advances in Information Technology", September, 1991, Beltsville, MD, This paper addresses the questions most frequently asked about scanning : Why are we doing it? How exactly is it done? What does it cost? The answer to why we do it touches on the global forces that are shaping the Information Age. The many purposes for which scanning systems can be sued represent a force in themselves that is explored in some detail. Regardless of the purpose, image scanning and optical character recognition (OCR) systems are made up of much the same components, and these are described. The focus is on operational procedures, work flow, throughput, staffing needs, and costs based on the experiences of the U.S. National Agricultural Text Digitizing Project at NAL. (original)
AGRICOLA IND 92047817; presented at IAALD Symposium on "Advances in Information Technology", September, 1991, Beltsville, MD, Since 1985 the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research has been involved in the production of a collection of its research reports on CD-ROM. This has involved the conversion of thousands of documents to machine-readable text and scanned images. This paper briefly outlines the history of the project from its inception to current status. Particular attention is paid to key factors that have impacted the design and production of the collection, with special emphasis on the ways in which this information can be put to use by those contemplating similar conversions. (original)
AGRICOLA IND 92047820; presented at IAALD Symposium on "Advances in Information Technology", September, 1991, Beltsville, MD, Much research literature in the sciences, and particularly in agriculture related sciences, originates from private and government research stations, is published in the form of technical reports or technical papers, and often does not appear in readily available published literature. The requirement for prompt delivery of these materials to researchers, combined with the evolving sophistication of researchers in the application of computers to research problems and the increasing demands to integrate library support into scientists; research functions, provides strong incentive to explore computer based alternatives for delivery of those documents that overcome the drawbacks of existing technical and procedural mechanisms, such as facsimile and postal delivery of photocopies. Fourteen institutions are taking part in this research and demonstration project which electronically transmits document images to remote sites using the national Internet telecommunications systems. (original)
AGRICOLA IND 92047823; presented at IAALD Symposium on "Advances in Information Technology", September, 1991, Beltsville, MD, PENpages is a full-text information service that demonstrates the power of sharing information through the Internet. PENpages contains agriculture and consumer-oriented information for use by field-based extension professionals and public clientele. The system is the home of three national databases including MAPP-The Family and Economic Well-Being National Database, PER-Poultry Extension Resources, and Senior Series, a gerontology database. PENpages was instrumental in the dissemination of information relating to family issues during the was in the Persian Gulf. (original)
