AGRICOLA IND 92017555; Presented at the VIII World Congress of IAALD, May, 1990, Budapest, Hungary, Agricultural libraries and information centers in the Philippines are found in academic institutions. The greatest number of end users of agricultural information are the extension workers and the farmers. These are the groups wherein the downstream flow of information from basic research should be reached. The extension workers and the farmers are the responsibility of the Department of Agriculture (DA), which has no mandate or jurisdiction over the academic institutions. The Agricultural Libraries Association of the Philippines (ALAP), as a professional organization, is bringing the information sources of these institutions to the final users of agricultural information, the extension workers and the farmers. ALAP is cooperating with the Regional Applied Communication Offices, a joint undertaking of the different government offices in harnessing and coordinating the different information activities. As a professional organization the ALAP brings together not only the librarians but also the resources of the libraries of private and government institutions. A regional approach on information awareness and information delivery is adopted to make information more accessible to the end users. Information needs for each region differ considering the crops grown and the development program of the region. The technical assistance that ALAP is extending enhances the information capabilities of small libraries.
