National Agricultural Library Information Resource Centers (NAL)

Offering information on alternative crops and a wide variety of rural economic development and revitalization topics

Located in Beltsville, MD, NAL is the foremost agricultural library in the world, and is one of four U.S. national libraries along with the Library of Congress, the National Library of Medicine, and the National Library of Education. NAL is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). The two public information centers at NAL are:

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center
Rural Information Center

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC)

One of several topic-oriented information centers at the National Agricultural Library, AFSIC specializes in locating and accessing information related to alternative cropping systems including sustainable, organic, low-input, biodynamic, and regenerative agriculture. AFSIC also focuses on alternative crops, new uses for traditional crops, and crops grown for industrial production.

AFSIC is supported, in part, by USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, and a cooperative agreement with the University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

Information Available
AFSIC staff members create publications that focus on specific topics of current interest. Some publications are bibliographic in nature and reflect materials contained in the NAL collection and/or indexed in NAL's database, AGRICOLA. Special Reference Briefs (SRBs) and subject-focused Web pages provide a broader picture of a topic, including descriptive text and organizational resources, as well as suggested reading lists and websites.

Most AFSIC publications are available through the website. To obtain AFSIC publications on computer diskette (in ASCII), or in hardcopy (limited availability), please make requests by contacting the AFSIC office by phone, mail, or e-mail. Specific topics not covered by AFSIC publications and Web pages may be addressed, on request, by AFSIC reference staff through brief, complimentary database searches.

AFSIC publications include:

"Great Places to Find Information about Farming Alternatives"
"List of Alternative Crops and Enterprises for Small Farm Diversification"
"Educational Training Opportunities in Sustainable Agriculture Directory"
Sustainable Agriculture in Print Series
"AFSIC Information Products: Current List/Order Form"
Links to our alternative agriculture-related publications and bibliographies

Contact
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center
National Agricultural Library, Rm 132
10301 Baltimore Ave.
Beltsville MD 20705-2351
Phone: (301) 504-6559; Fax: (301) 504-6927
TDD/TTY: 301/504-6856
E-mail: afsic@nal.usda.gov

Internet
www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/

Rural Information Center

The Rural Information Center (RIC) provides information and referral services to local, tribal, state, and federal government officials; community organizations; rural electric and telephone cooperatives; libraries; businesses; and citizens working to maintain the vitality of America's rural areas. The RIC Website contains more than 2,500 links to current and reliable information on a wide variety of rural resources and funding sources.

Information Available
RIC staff will:

Provide customized information products to specific inquiries including assistance in economic revitalization issues; local government planning projects; funding sources; technical assistance programs; research studies; and other related issues.
Process a broad array of general and funding information requests on topics such as:
- Successful strategies, models, and case studies of community development projects
- Small business attraction, retention, and expansion
- Housing programs and services
- Tourism promotion and development
- Recycling programs
- Community water quality
- Technology transfer to rural areas
Refer users to organizations or experts in the field who can provide additional information.
Perform brief literature searches on computerized databases of requested topics on a complimentary basis or exhaustive searches on a cost recovery basis.
Identify current USDA research.
Assist users in accessing NAL's extensive collection.
Prepare in-depth rural FAQs, publications, and the Rural Calendar for the RIC Website

Contact
USDA, Rural Information Center
National Agricultural Library
10301 Baltimore Ave., Room 304
Beltsville, MD 20705-2351
Phone: (800) 633-7702
E-mail: ric@nal.usda.gov

Internet
www.nal.usda.gov/ric/

Last Updated January 24, 2005