College and Research Libraries FOSTER E. MOHRHARDT and BLANCHE L. OLIVERI A National Network of Biological-Agricultural Libraries Efforts to gain systematic control of the entire range of biological and agricultural literature are reviewed. In view of the need manifest therein, an efficient network of biological-agricultural libraries is being developed to serve the science communities in those fields. M ED LARS is already operational, and N AL is now developing a network in the bio-agricultural fields. Problems in the way of its satisfactory establish- ment are discussed, and the elements of such a system are enumerated. INTRODUCTION THE 1966 CONFERENCE of the American Library Association sat at the center of two concentric circles. The smaller or inner circle, covering greater New York, includes one of the most significant con- centrations of books and libraries of all times-at least 30 million volumes. The New York public library, the Columbia University library, the ten to twenty other significant academic library collec- tions plus more than one thousand out- standing special libraries provide a scope and depth of information that is in many ways incomparable. Our second circle, with a radius of 250 miles, en- compasses the Harvard-Cambridge-New Haven area in the north and the Wash- ington, D. C. metropolitan area library complex in the south. Within this larger area the number of volumes has doubled to more than sixty million and the range and depth of subjects have measurably ~ncreased. Sitting in the center of this library affiuence we might assume that all is well in the scholarly library field Mr. Mohrhardt is Director of the Na- ~ional Agricultural Library and Mrs. Oliveri is Assistant Director for Coordination Ser- !Vices. This paper was read to the Agricul- ~ure and Biological Sciences Subsection of iACRL in New York City on July 14, 1966. and that practically any research work- er's needs can be met in this relatively confined geographical area. The director of the Columbia University library, Richard Logsdon, viewed with pride the strength of these collections in the great- er New York area, and reported in can- dor last year: But lest you be lulled into believing that all is well in the library world, let me now give the specialist reader's view. With all of these resources, libraries are still falling short of meeting the full demands of read- ers, in these days of upgraded elementary and secondary curricula, new specializations at the ~ollege and university level, and the incredible expansion of research, particular- ly in the sciences. At Columbia, for exam- ple, I cannot think of a single field in which members of the faculty could not find us lacking in significant source material,l We who work in the larger circle with a sixty to seventy-five million volume total recognized the fact that many of the needs of research workers, scholars and students are unmet by all of these collections. As the horizons of interest of our scholars and students increase, and as the production of papers and publica- 1 Richard H . Logsdon, " The Vast Resources of New York City and the Developments Which Will Occur in the Next Decade" (A privately printed ad- dress of April 15, 1965) , p. 14. /9 10 I College & Research Libraries • January, 1967 tions double in output with predicted regularity, most libraries have recog- nized their individual inability to meet even a share of their users' requirements. We will have to redouble our efforts and rechallenge our ingenuity and im- agination to maintain even our present levels of service. There are many nights when we go home from our libraries wondering if there are any boundaries to the quest for information. William 0. Baker, one of our greatest scientists and research directors, says, "Unlike material consumption-of food, clothing, housing, even, perhaps, of automobiles-there is probably no limit to human needs for knowledge."2 Many of us today are aware of the fact that new paths must be opened and new approaches developed in the field of librarianship. Librarians for several dec- ades have been aware of the fact that the handling and servicing of publica- tions has become a problem beyond the competence of conventional systems. It has only been in the last decade how- ever, that scientists and research workers recognized these difficulties. Librarians and scientists also know that individual efforts are no longer suf- ficient, and that regional and national programs are needed to handle success- fully the requirements of research work- ers, students, and others. BIOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE The American Institute of Biological Sciences established in 1960 the Biolog- ical Sciences Communication Project to "study, define, and improve the flow of fundamental and applied biological in- formation from the scientist producer to the scientist consumer."3 The project's proposals, particularly as they applied to the national scene, were 2 William 0. Baker, "Communication Science-Today and Tomorrow," in Science and Society: A Symposium (Rochester, N.Y.: Xerox Corp., 1965), p. 100. 8 AIBS. Biological Sciences Communication Project. Communique, 1-61 (June 1961 ), 2. probably too advanced and comprehen· sive for the early 1960's. Unfortunately, they were not put into operation. The project is now a part of George Wash- ington University and still serves as an effective center for research, education, and special studies in the biological sci- ences communication field. Looking for a broader base of biolog- ical representation, a new effort to in- ventory, evaluate, and systematize the national handling of biological informa- tion was initiated in a conference on communications for biology held at Cherry Hill, New Jersey, November 1965. The conference participants were carefully selected to cover comprehen- sively the whole field of biology, from the central core of basic, discipline-ori- ented biology to the mission-oriented and more applied fields of agriculture and medicine. Among the recommenda- tions made at the meeting that apply particularly to librarains are the follow- ing. IX. That biological vocabularies or the- sauri including definitions and hierarchical structures be developed under the joint ef- forts of scientists, science information spe- cialists and societies for use in indexing and handling of biological publications and communication .... X. That it be the responsibility of the federal government to insure acquisition and reasonable availability in the United States of all significant publications in biol- ogy from any part of the world. A. Reasonable availability includes ( 1) prompt cataloging of publications, ( 2) an express announcement in English fot all titles of publications collected, ( 3) plus selective dissemination of this title information. All services should be pro vided by utilizing existing organizations both public and private. The prime ob jective is to facilitate rapid transmission of copies of original documents to thE individual through a local institution a minimal cost. B. A Council at the national :Ievel should be urged to assume over-all responsibil A National Network of Biological-Agricultural Libraries I 11 ity for implementation of this program in · cooperation with the appropriate bio- logical organizations and societies. Spe- cific delegation of broad subject areas should be made, utilizing as document sources the National Library of Medicine and the National Agricultural Library and recognizing outstanding specialized collections that have been developed at local institutions, such as exist in mam- malogy, ichthyology, mycology, bryol- ogy, and photosynthesis. XI. That library services to the biologist at the local level must be immediately strengthened and local libraries must be , brought into the national planning at an early stage so that they can provide better services. That academic and other research in- stitutions recognize the need for adequate- ly supported library service in developing all research programs, and that federal as- sistance for research include provision for libraries.4 In addition it was proposed that a net- work of libraries, data centers, documen- tation centers, and information centers be implemented to carry out the con- ference recommendations and meet the needs of biologists for information. It is to librarians that the biologists have directed their request for aid. We are the specialists who are expected to provide solutions. LIBRARY NETWORKS-A NATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY Today we can readily recognize the problems, identify broad needs, and sub- scribe to the idea of a national bio-agri- cultural network. The difficult problems arise in designing, organizing, and op- erating an efficient network of informa- tion services. Since the organization of the American Library Association al- most .a hundred years ago, libraries in this country have been utilizing most of the fundamental elements necessary for 4 Conference on Communications for Biology. Cherry Hill, N.J.: Nov. 22-23 , 1965. Report. pp. 7-8. an effective network. We have a na- tional interlibrary loan system, stand- ardization of catalog cards through the Library of Congress, codes and rules for subject headings, storage centers, and arrangements for division of collecting responsibility in some subject fields. Yet each of these elements now in operation contains exceptions, limitations, and de- ficiencies that can be improved only by broader planning and better structuring. Every current major study of libraries, information services, and communica- tion has pointed to the federal govern- ment as a major factor in stimulating, supporting, and organizing networks for these services. As Adlai E. Stevenson pointed out in a discussion of science and technology: Electricity had been harnessed :fifty years in the United States before it was put to work on the farm. It was political will that put it there. It was political initiative which built TV A, the Grand Coulee Dam, the super highways, years after we knew how. It was a political trigger which started the huge programs of research in science in universities and private industry.5 Let us tap this political potential to serve us in network development! J. C. R. Licklider, who has recently studied library potentials, also directs us toward federal interests. What has the federal government's appara- tus for scientific and technical information to do with "problems in information re- trieval"? Three things: First, it has prob- lems, large and deep, which it is mounting a vigorous effort to solve. Second, it offers to scientists and engineers a great and valuable informational resource that is much less well known and well understood than it should be among some of the peo- ple who could best use its help and who could best help it. And, third, the inte- gration of national resources in the informa- 5 Adlai Stevenson, "Science and Technology in the Political Arena" in Science and Society: A Symposium (Rochester, N.Y.: Xerox Corp., 1965), p. 7. 121 College & Research Libraries • January, 1967 tion field must involve both the federal re- sources and the resources outside the gov- ernment .... 6 In private conversation with me he has pointed out that- The MEDLARS project at the National Li- brary of Medicine, the network of ~tate­ based information centers to be established under the State Technical Services Act of 1965 the Atomic Energy Commission and Nati~nal Aeronautics and Space Admin- istration computer-based abstracting and in- dexing services, the new computer-based chemical information system of the Chem- ical Abstracts Service, and the numerous information evaluation and analysis centers are all examples of large-scale information transfer experiments which will lead to im- proved systems design and integration. What have we established thus far? First, that individual libraries and even small groups of libraries are no longer .adequate for the general needs of re- search workers, scientists, and students. Second, biologists and agriculturalists have now directly challenged us to find the techniques and methods to give them ready access to the totality of world information in biology. Third, within the tradition of American library experience we have the basic elements for a national network or system. Fourth, the role of the federal government in li- brary support and stimulation has been well established during the past decade. Fifth, many government agencies now have specialized networks providing in- formation which can be fed into the total biological-agricultural network. Where do we go from here? The National Library of Medicine, through its MEDLARS project and other activities, already has in operation an experimental network for the broad health-centered fields. The National Agricultural Library is now developing e J. C. R. Licklider, "Some Problems in Information Retrieval" (A paper prepared for presentation August 27 1965 at the Western Computer Conference in San Fr~ncisco ) . the base for a broad nationwide bio- agricultural library network. Before out- lining the steps already taken by the National Agricultural Library it is neces- sary to reemphasize certain guidelines that must be accepted by all of us if we are to progress rapidly in a shared, co- operative, effective national netw?rk.. Network Planning and Orgamzatwn. A functioning national network for bio- logical-agricultural information will re- quire: ( 1) formalizing of agreements and arrangements between the partic- ipating libraries; ( 2) increased sharing of responsibilities; ( 3) increased co- operation in acquisitions; ( 4) standard- ization of procedures; ( 5) re-educati