The Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC) Alliance was formed in 1995 by a group of four land grant institutions

Land-grant university

Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....

 - Cornell University

Cornell University

Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...

, Iowa State University

Iowa State University

Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...

, University of Arizona

University of Arizona

The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...

, and University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Library (NAL). In 1998, NAL assumed the role as “secretariat” to move the partnership forward. Members were committed to creating a voluntary “alliance” dedicated to providing Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

 access to quality, authoritative agricultural

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 information, and specialized reference services. In 2007, with 60 voluntary partners, this vision continues to sustain the Alliance, largely due to its collaborative nature. University libraries affiliated with land-grant colleges—as well as other interested institutions, such as the International Rice Research Institute

International Rice Research Institute

The International Rice Research Institute is an international NGO. Its headquarters are in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, and it has offices in sixteen countries...

, the American Farmland Trust

American Farmland Trust

The American Farmland Trust is an organization founded to preserve farmland and ranchland in the United States and to promote sustainable agricultural practices....

, the Agricultural Information and Documentation Service for America (SIDALC

SIDALC

The Agricultural Information and Documentation Service of the Americas is an international agricultural, livestock, forestry and environmental information service in which institutions in 22 countries of the Americas share information and services on line...

) and the University of Buenos Aires, School of Agriculture, Central Library, are working together with NAL to develop the AgNIC Alliance, its collections and services, and the technologies upon which it relies.

Unlike most science and technology disciplines, agriculture has a mechanism for distilling and distributing research to those who need it. Historically, state and local extension staff research topics, synthesize, and prepare information for easy consumption, often on an “as needed” basis. Forming partnerships between libraries and subject specialists has been the cornerstone of AgNIC.

Governance

AgNIC members agreed early in the formation of the partnership to maintain an informal structure. There were long discussions to determine if the partnership was an “alliance,” a “consortium,” or an “association.” By the end of year two, members agreed that each partner institution would be represented with one vote, and the partnership would be considered an alliance. This resulting decision was based on the strong belief that this partnership fit the definition of – a close association of ... groups, formed to advance common interests or cause. The group representing the institutions would be referred to as the “AgNIC Alliance Coordinating Committee.”

After more than two years of attempts to discuss issues and develop policy without measurable results, and a fast-growing membership of more than 20 institutions, the partners decided to create an “AgNIC Executive Board.” This board would be elected from and by the coordinating committee. The Board examines and proposes solutions to issues, drafts policy and planning documents, proposes policy for approval by the membership, and visions for the future of AgNIC.

The AgNIC Executive Board includes the past Chair, Chair, incoming Chair, three member-at-large positions, and an ex-Officio position reserved for the AgNIC Coordinator from NAL, and one NAL representative.

External links

USAIN Task Force. 2007. Making the Case for a Next Generation Digital Information System to Ensure America's Leadership in Agricultural Sciences in the 21st Century. A Background document sponsored by the United States Agricultural Information Network (USAIN). http://usain.org/WhitePaperFinal.pdf

Inter American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture-IICA www.iica.int