SIU

A well-organized and properly stocked library was established at NARC in 1984 to facilitate the flow and documentation of scientific and technical information. To meet the rapidly growing information needs, addition of latest publications to the library continued. NARC library was fully computerized in 1997-98 and its catalogue is available on PARC Website for online searching. More than 30,000(+) library holdings include books/publications 23000(+), reprints of documents 2900, journal titles 1028, video cassettes, and CD-ROM. The services include: current contents of journals on diskettes, computerized database searching, bibliographic references, internet, e-mail, fresh arrival circulation, consultation and advice, exchange of publications with national/international institutions and depository library for FAO publications.

PARC Website (http://www.parc.gov.pk) was launched in August 2000. Developed as an English language site it had a humble start with only 100 pages, three online databases and addressed mainly the scientists, policy makers and agriculture students. Within a short span of time it developed into a bi-lingual website with a strong Urdu section. The focus now include the most important audience-both progressive and conventional farmers. Most of the farmers in Pakistan are illiterate but with the continuing growth of literacy in the country and the Internet coming within reach of the small farms/villages, PARC Website has also started getting hits and queries from small towns. Over 130 technological packages both in Urdu and English are available on the Website.

The Website text amounts to over 500+ pages in addition to the valuable information available in 9 online databases developed by information professionals of PARC. There are agricultural maps of Pakistan and an agro-calculator that converts different weights and measures used in Pakistan’s agriculture.

PARC “Agro-Forum” is yet another success story. Being first of its kind in the country, 419 members continued actively during the year discussing their problems and finding solutions.

PARC E.News page offers full text of PARC newsletter of the Council with coloured photographs.

Importance, relevance and technical soundness of the site is reflected the fact that the key words ”Pakistan” and “Agriculture” on www.google.com return PARC Website as the first result. With over 120,000 hits from all over the world, the Website continues to grow both in size and popularity.

To facilitate the scientific community for review of Pakistani literature, Pakistan Agriculture Database has been developed and maintained with the addition of bibliographic and abstracts information of publications published in Pakistan or elsewhere in the world about Pakistan’s agriculture. It has more than 53,000 records, 18,000(+) contain theses information.

Computerized catalogue of NARC Library contains information of more than 23,000 publications including books, documents, theses, reports, monographs, etc.

A system was designed for computerization of journal holdings of various agricultural libraries of Pakistan by creating a relational database. So far information of about 3000 journal/magazine titles with available volumes and issues in 36 libraries has been entered. A web based software of the same has also been developed and uploaded for its wider use by scientific community facilitating decentralized input/editing of data by participating libraries through Internet.

Database of Pakistani Periodicals has been developed and maintained with 190 records containing information of journals, magazines and newsletters published from Pakistan on agriculture and allied subjects.

Database on National Agricultural Research Information System (NARIS) of Pakistan has been developed and maintained with personnel and research activities information of 732 scientists/officers of PARC and its establishments in the provinces.

Database of video programmes and documentaries produced by AVC, NARC has also been developed and maintained.

AGRIS (International Information System for the Agricultural Sciences and Technology) is FAO-sponsored cooperative agriculture information system with more than 150 national/multinational and regional participating centres. Each centre submits the bibliographic information of the literature published within their jurisdiction to AGRIS. The Directorate of Scientific Information, being the National Liaison Office for AGRIS activities in Pakistan, regularly sends its input for inclusion in the main database. About 1400 records of Pakistani published literature on agriculture are annually contributed to the AGRIS database via Internet.

Annually, about 1500 requests for literature review are entertained by supplying abstracts/references from national and international databases on CD-ROM including CAB Abstracts and AGRIS database. Over the years more than 49,000(+) requests have been entertained from all over the country and provided about 2.6(+) million references.

Documentation services are provided to agricultural scientists, policy makers, managers, researchers, students, and extension workers throughout the country. Under Document Delivery Service, about 150 requests were entertained annually both from national and international institutions/agencies.

Scientific and functional photographic facilities are available for scientists and research managers for their field and lab experiments and important events. A modest scientific slides library is also being maintained.

· Up-gradation and strengthening of NARC Library into National Library of Agricultural Sciences under a PSDP/HEC project was implemented during 2003-07.

· PARC and Rice-Wheat Consortium organized Project and Research Information System Module RWC-PRISM Pakistan National Workshop at the Directorate of Scientific Information, NARC Islamabad from 11-13 October 2004.

· Under US AID funded “Management of Agricultural Research and Technology (MART) Project”, 21 major agricultural libraries in the country were strengthened in 1992 by providing them back volumes of journals on microform as well as computer hardware and software along with international databases on CD-ROM and in-house developed databases. Collaboration with these libraries is being further strengthened on exchange basis.

· Two issues of Pakistan Bibliography of Agriculture have been published and released. Different information directories have also been published.

· Inventory of Pakistani Periodicals on Agriculture and Allied Subjects has been published to facilitate the scientists to reach the relevant periodical for publication of their research papers.

· Organized training courses/workshops for agricultural librarians and scientists on latest information handling technologies on national and organizational levels.

· Visit/training opportunities for information professionals at various international research centres/organizations are availed to update rapport with regional, national and international centres/organizations and keep pace with the latest developments in the information field.

· Proceedings of the Training Workshop on Resource Sharing and Networking of Libraries and Documentation Centers organized by DSI at NARC from 11-15 April, 2005 was published.

Shahnaz Zuberi

Director

dbsnarc@isb.paknet.com.pk