NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Volume 22 number 1 - Fall 2001

By Debbie Currie, Collection Management

In April 2001 the NCSU Libraries hosted the Seventh Biennial Conference of the United States Agricultural Information Network (USAIN). Composed of more than 100 librarians and other information specialists in agriculture and the related sciences, USAIN provides a forum for the discussion of agricultural issues and the opportunity to share ideas, expertise, and support.

The conference, held in Raleigh from April 20 through 23, 2001, featured the theme "Extending Our Reach: Redefining and Promoting Agricultural Information through Partnerships." This theme reflected NC State University's strong tradition in extension and outreach and its outstanding reputation for the innovative use of partnerships and application of information technologies. In the keynote address "No More Fences," Wanda D. Sykes (North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service) urged attendees to look beyond typical or expected means of forming partnerships and sharing information to remove barriers to communication and cooperation.

The first USAIN Information Technology Expo, held at the McKimmon Center on April 23 and fashioned after NC State's highly successful Instructional Technologies Expo, was organized by a team of NC State faculty and library staff members chaired by Debbie Currie (NCSU Libraries). The event featured exhibits, demonstrations, and presentations by members of the USAIN and NC State communities. To cover expo and other conference expenses, Currie and conference co-chair Amy Paster (Pennsylvania State University Libraries) received nearly $7,000 in sponsorship monies, including a generous donation from NC State's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Additional support for the conference, in the form of donations of North Carolina in-kind products, was provided by Goodness Grows in North Carolina, House-Autry Mills, Lance Foods, Mt. Olive Pickle Company, and TW Garner Food Company. The hard work of the conference planning committee, led by Currie and Paster and comprised of USAIN and library staff members, clearly set a new standard for future conferences.

The conference closed with an elegant reception hosted by the Libraries for all conference participants. After viewing the library exhibit The Sodfather: A Friend of Agriculture in North Carolina, which celebrated the career of former North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Jim Graham, the attendees enjoyed live music performed by library staff members Brad Warren and Angela Wong. Vice Provost and Director of Libraries Susan Nutter provided a gracious welcome, and Dean James Oblinger of NC State's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences discussed North Carolina agriculture. To read more about the USAIN conference, visit its Web site at http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/usain/.