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National Agricultural Library and University of Maryland Libraries Cooperative Agreement:
Expanding Resources for Researchers and Students
This website was created as part of a cooperative agreement to raise awareness about the agriculture-related collections housed by the National Agricultural Library and the University of Maryland Libraries.
Resources for Researchers and the Public
The NAL and UMD Libraries are striving to organize their materials and
provide a wide range of access to our collections for both online and
in-house visitors. For instance, you may be interested in examining:
- Agricultural Resources by Subject, which includes annotated lists of primary and secondary sources on agriculture
- Gallery, which highlights agriculture-related images and exhibits
- Projects, which detail some of the initiatives completed through the cooperative agreement
About the Agreement
The Beginning of the Cooperative Agreement
In 1996, the National Agricultural Library (NAL) initiated a legal arrangement
(referred to as a cooperative agreement) with the University of Maryland
Libraries to jointly preserve and provide access to records that document
the history of American agriculture. Expected to be completed in approximately
three years, the cooperative agreement has been renewed several times,
and represents a long-lived, successful university-government partnership.
The two institutions are uniquely equipped for such a relationship based
on:
- the close proximity of The University of Maryland Libraries on the
College Park, Maryland, campus and the National Agricultural Library,
in Beltsville, Maryland
- the significant manuscript collections about agriculture held by both
institutions and the employment of qualified staff
- the opportunities to work with students in the University's graduate
program in information science
The approaches to processing, preserving, and making accessible collections
related to the history of U.S. agriculture include:
- sharing information on technical matters
- intertwining our informational materials
- promoting related national resources through exhibits and the Web
The results are:
- excellent training opportunities for students of library science and
history
- creative products illustrating the unique content of each institutions'
collections
- organization and preservation of and access to valuable materials documenting our agricultural heritage
Introducing the Projects Supported by the Cooperative Agreement
The initial project involved surveying and processing over
1,000 linear feet of materials that had been gathered by the History Office
of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). When USDA eliminated
what was known as the history office, the working collection assembled
by devoted, talented historians, analysts, and writers over an 80 year
span, was transferred to NAL. The processing of the USDA History Collection
took several years and led to a wide range of other initiatives, illustrated
in the following sampler of links to additional information:
- USDA History Collection
- USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection
- Maryland Agriculture Exhibit
- More Projects
Opportunities for Paid Internships and Volunteer Experiences
The cooperative agreement between the National Agricultural Library and the University of Maryland Libraries represents opportunity for students in the College of Library and Information Science and for volunteers who are interested in American agriculture or work with archives and manuscripts. There are a number of positions available for paid and volunteer work, particularly at NAL. Those interested in finding out more about the prospects of working to preserve the documentary heritage of American agriculture should contact:
- Archives and Manuscripts Department of the
University of Maryland Libraries
- Special Collections Department of the National Agricultural Library
The image block representing the collaboration between NAL and the UM Libraries was created from the logos of NAL Special Collections and the University of Maryland. It also includes the image of C. B. Calvert, Esq.'s residence, "Riversdale," and portrait of his Durham Cow "Cinderella." taken from the American Farmer July 1845. Founded in 1819, the American Farmer was the first agricultural journal with a wide circulation. Copies of this important resource are available at the University of Maryland Libraries.
