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{{Organization
|OrganizationName=United States National Agricultural Library
|OrganizationType=Research and Development Agencies
|Mission=The National Agricultural Library serves as the primary agricultural information resource of the United States, providing access to a vast collection of agricultural literature and digital resources. Its mission is to facilitate the creation of agricultural knowledge by acquiring, curating, and disseminating information to solve agricultural challenges.
|ParentOrganization=Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture
|CreationLegislation=Organic Act of 1862
|Employees=100
|OrganizationExecutive=Director
|Services=Information Services; Digital Collections; Special Collections; Research Support
|HeadquartersLocation=39.02283, -76.92172
|HeadquartersAddress=10301 Baltimore Ave, Beltsville, MD 20705
|Website=https://www.nal.usda.gov/
}}
{{short description|Agricultural research library}}


The '''United States National Agricultural Library''' ('''NAL''') is one of the world's largest agricultural research libraries, and serves as a national library of the [[United States]] and as the library of the [[United States Department of Agriculture]]. Located in [[Beltsville, Maryland]], it is one of five national libraries of the United States (along with the [[Library of Congress]], the [[National Library of Medicine]], the [[National Transportation Library]], and the [[National Library of Education]]). It is also the coordinator for the [[Agriculture Network Information Center]] (AgNIC), a national network of state [[Land-grant university|land-grant institutions]] and coordinator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) field libraries.

NAL was established on May 15, 1862, by the signing of the Organic Act by [[Abraham Lincoln]]. It served as a departmental library until 1962, when the Secretary of Agriculture officially designated it as the National Agricultural Library. The first librarian, appointed in 1867, was [[Aaron B. Grosh]], one of the founders of the [[National Grange|National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry]].

==History==
[[Image:United States National Agricultural Library.jpg|thumb|NAL's Abraham Lincoln Building in Beltsville, Md.]]
[[File:National Agricultural Library 2018a.jpg|thumb|[[Facade|Façade]] of the Abraham Lincoln Building]]
[[File:National Agricultural Library lobby 2018.jpg|thumb|Lobby of the Abraham Lincoln Building]]

NAL was established as the U.S. Department of Agriculture Library on May 15, 1862, by the signing of the Organic Act by [[Abraham Lincoln]]. In 1863, the library's collection comprised 1,000 volumes that had been transferred from the U.S. Patent Office's Agricultural Division. By 1889, the library's collection had increased to 20,000 volumes, and a librarian from Amherst College was hired to create a [[library classification|classification system]] for the library's collection. At this time, the library was located on the second floor of the Department of Agriculture's main building. In 1893, William Cutter was hired as Librarian of the Department, and he began a reorganization effort to modernize the library and improve its effectiveness. His primary achievement was consolidating the library's collection of 38,000 volumes into one central library; previously, more than half of the library's collection was held in divisional libraries across the United States. By 1900, the library's collection contained 68,000 volumes, and in 1915, the library was moved to a larger facility in the Bieber Office Building at 1358 B Street SW, Washington, DC. The library moved again in 1932 to facilities in the USDA's South Building on Independence Avenue.<ref name="fusione">Fusione, Alan E. 1988. The history of the National Agricultural Library. ''Agricultural History'' 62(2):189-207.</ref>

In 1934, the collection reached 250,000 volumes in size, and the library began participating in the Bibliofilm Service, which, along with the [[American Documentation Institute]] and the Science Service, supplied microfilm copies of articles to scientists. This was the first large-scale attempt by a library to provide copies of library materials to patrons rather than the original documents, and during its first year, over 300,000 copies were distributed.<ref name="fusione" />

During [[World War II]], the Department of Agriculture underwent reorganization to address wartime needs. The library, which had been decentralized since 1920, was consolidated into a central facility under the direction of Department Librarian [[Ralph R. Shaw (Librarian)|Ralph R. Shaw]].

On May 23, 1962, the 100th anniversary of the library's establishment, Secretary of Agriculture [[Orville Freeman]] officially designated the library as the National Agricultural Library, making it the third [[national library]] in the United States. In 1964, funds were appropriated by Congress to begin planning for a new library facility in Beltsville, Maryland, on the grounds of the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. Construction on the new facility began in 1965, and it first opened in 1969. In 2000, Secretary of Agriculture [[Dan Glickman]] designated the building as the Abraham Lincoln Building.{{citation needed|date=May 2014}}

===Librarians of the Department of Agriculture===
*[[Aaron B. Grosh]] (1867&ndash;1869)<ref name="fusione" />
*Stuart Eldridge (1869&ndash;1871)<ref name="uiuc">Paskoff, Beth M. 1990. [http://www.ideals.uiuc.edu/bitstream/2142/7672/1/librarytrendsv38i3c_opt.pdf History and characteristics of agricultural libraries and information in the United States]{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. ''Library Trends'' 38(3):331-349.</ref>
*John B. Russell (1871&ndash;1877)<ref name="uiuc" />
*[[Ernestine H. Stevens]] (1877&ndash;1893)<ref name="uiuc" />
*William P. Cutter (1893&ndash;1901)<ref name="fusione" />
*[[Josephine Adelaide Clark|Josephine Clark]] (1901&ndash;1907)<ref name="fusione" />
*[[Claribel Barnett]] (1907&ndash;1940)<ref name="fusione" />
*[[Ralph R. Shaw (Librarian)|Ralph R. Shaw]] (1940&ndash;1954)<ref name="fusione" />
*[[Foster E. Mohrhardt]] (1954&ndash;1968)<ref name="fusione" /><ref>Cragin, Melissa H. 2004. “Foster Mohrhardt: Connecting the Traditional World of Libraries and the Emerging World of Information Science.” ''Library Trends'' 52 (4): 833–52.</ref>
*John Sherrod (1968&ndash;1973)<ref name="fusione" />
*Richard Farley (1973&ndash;1983)<ref name="fusione" />
*Joseph Howard (1983&ndash;1994)<ref>[http://www.nal.usda.gov/pubs_dbs/ann_rpts/1993/annrp93a.htm National Agricultural Library Annual Report for 1993] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116025921/http://nal.usda.gov/pubs_dbs/ann_rpts/1993/annrp93a.htm |date=2009-01-16 }}. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland. 1994. Retrieved on 2008-12-15.</ref>
*Pamela Q.J. Andre (1994&ndash;2002)<ref>[http://www.nal.usda.gov/about/reports/nal2000.shtml National Agricultural Library 2000-2002] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116002254/http://www.nal.usda.gov/about/reports/nal2000.shtml |date=2009-01-16 }}. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland. 2002. Retrieved on 2008-12-15.</ref>
*Peter Young (2002&ndash;2008)<ref>[https://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2008/08-196.html Library of Congress Announces New Asian Division Chief]. Library of Congress (press release). 2008-10-23. Retrieved on 2008-12-15.</ref>
*Simon Y. Liu (2010&ndash;2014)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nal.usda.gov/pdfs/2010director.pdf |title=Dr. Simon Y. Liu Named New NAL Director |publisher=[[U.S. Department of Agriculture]] |location= [[Beltsville, Maryland]] |date= 2010|accessdate=2010-01-20 |archivedate= 2012-09-21 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921072718/https://www.nal.usda.gov/pdfs/2010director.pdf}}</ref>
*Paul M. Wester Jr. (2015&ndash;2024)<ref>[http://www.nfais.org/appointment-of-paul-wester-as-new-nal-director Appointment of Paul Wester as New NAL Director] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822074950/http://www.nfais.org/appointment-of-paul-wester-as-new-nal-director |date=2021-08-22 }}. Retrieved 2015-10-31.</ref>

==Facilities==
The main library is housed in the Abraham Lincoln Building, a seventeen-story facility on the grounds of the [[Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center]] in Beltsville, Maryland. NAL also used to operate a [[Washington, D.C.]], branch known as the DC Reference Center, which was located in the USDA's South Building.<ref>[http://riley.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=8&tax_level=3&tax_subject=156&topic_id=1971&level3_id=6393 DC Reference Center]. National Agricultural Library website. Retrieved on 2008-12-22.</ref>

===Paul L. Byrne Agricultural Teaching and Research Center===
The [[Paul L. Byrne]] Agricultural Teaching and Research Center is located at [[California State University, Chico]] and is part of the 800-acre Paul L. Byrne Memorial University Farm.<ref>[https://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/edtr/paul-l-byrne-agricultural-teaching-and-research-center "Paul L. Byrne Agricultural Teaching and Research Center"], ''United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Library website''. Retrieved August 16, 2020.</ref><ref>[https://www.csuchico.edu/ag/university-farm/index.shtml "The University Farm"], ''California State University, Chico College of Agriculture website''. Retrieved August 16, 2020.</ref>

==Services==
===PubAg===
PubAg is search engine that gives the public enhanced access to research published by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists, and also to agriculturally relevant citations from the scientific literature. At its launch on January 13, 2015, PubAg made over 40,000 publications by USDA scientists available, and provided access to an additional 300,000 citations.<ref>[http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2015/150113.htm Announcement by the USDA/ARS]. Retrieved on 2015-11-01.</ref>

===Ag Data Commons===
Ag Data Commons is a repository and catalog for scientific datasets that are associated with publications by the USDA's agricultural research service and other institutions. The data included is funded by the USDA, either in whole or in part.<ref>data.nal.usda.gov, [https://data.nal.usda.gov/about-ag-data-commons USDA Ag Data Commons: About the Ag Data Commons], accessed 20 September 2019.</ref>

===LCA Commons===
Hosted by the National Agricultural Library, the U.S. Life Cycle Assessment Commons (LCA Commons) is a collaboration among federal agencies, private industry, and academic researchers. The intention of LCA Commons is to aggregate and archive [[Life-cycle assessment|life cycle inventory data]] that represent US economic activities, making it freely available for re-use. It is geared for use in LCAs, supporting policy assessment, decision-making in technology implementation, and public disclosure of comparative product or technology assertions.<ref>data.nal.usda.gov, [https://data.nal.usda.gov/dataset/lca-commons Ag Data Commons:LCA Commons], accessed 20 September 2019.</ref>

===i5K Workspace @ NAL ===
The i5k Workspace@NAL provides genome projects resulting from the [[i5k]] initiative with a space to display and share genome assemblies and gene models. In particular, the Workspace is geared towards research groups that do not have the resources to display the genome assembly and its features.

===AGRICOLA===
{{main|AGRICOLA}}
NAL maintains AGRICOLA (AGRICultural OnLine Access), the largest [[bibliographic database]] of agricultural literature in the world.<ref name="avma">[http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/oct01/s100101h.asp AGRICOLA a useful database on agriculture, veterinary science]. ''Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association''. 2001-10-01. Retrieved on 2008-12-05.</ref> It contains more than 4.1 million records for publications dating as far back as the 15th century. 78 percent of the records are for journal articles and book chapters, while 22 percent cover full-length books, journals, maps, electronic resources, and audiovisual materials.<ref name="agricola">[http://agricola.nal.usda.gov/help/AGRICOLADoc2006.pdf Specifications for cataloging and indexing records from the National Agricultural Library]. National Agricultural Library. July 2006. Retrieved on 2008-12-05.</ref> The database indexes publications from many disciplines related to agriculture, including veterinary sciences, entomology, forestry, aquaculture and fisheries, economics, food and human nutrition, and environmental sciences.

AGRICOLA originated in 1942 as the ''Bibliography of Agriculture'', a printed index of article citation records. It was first digitized in 1970, when records were placed on magnetic tapes rather than reproducing them manually.<ref name="uiuc" /> The name was changed to AGRICOLA at this time, and the records were made available through database vendors such as Dialog and OCLC. In 1998, it became available to the general public for free on the [[World Wide Web]].<ref name="agricola" />

===National Agricultural Library Special Collections===
The library's Special Collections houses rare materials related to the history of agriculture, including books, manuscripts, paintings and drawings, seed catalogs, agricultural photographs, and posters from the 1500s to the present. The subjects covered include horticulture, entomology, poultry sciences, and natural history.

====Pomological Watercolor Collection====
{{main|Pomological Watercolor Collection}}
Within the Special Collections, the Pomological Watercolor Collection holds over 7,500 original watercolors on botanical subjects created by USDA artists between 1886 and 1942, almost half of which are apples. It is a unique resource documenting new introductions of fruit and nut cultivars as well as specimens discovered by USDA's plant explorers, representing 38 plant families in all.<ref name="jwen">White, James J., and Erik A. Neumann. "The Collection of Pomological Watercolors at the U.S. National Arboretum". ''[[Huntia (journal)|Huntia: A Journal of Botanical History]]'' 4:2 (January 1982), pp. 106-107.</ref> Some of these watercolors were published in the ''Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture'' in the 1902–1913 period, but many were never published at all.<ref name="jwen"/>

Some 65 different artists are represented in the collection, of whom one-third were women.<ref name=djk>Kevles, Daniel J. [http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-to-trademark-a-fruit-16888575/ "How to Trademark a Fruit"]. ''Smithsonian'', August 2011.</ref> Just 9 of the 65 are responsible for more than 90% of the total:  [[Deborah Griscom Passmore]] (over 1500 watercolors), [[Amanda Newton (illustrator)|Amanda Newton]] (over 1200), [[Mary Daisy Arnold]], (over 1000), [[Royal Charles Steadman]] (over 850), [[J. Marion Shull]] (over 750), [[Ellen Isham Schutt]] (over 700), Bertha Heiges (over 600), [[Elsie Lower Pomeroy|Elsie E. Lower]] (over 250), and [[William Henry Prestele]] (over 100). Many of the pictures in the Pomological Watercolor Collection are available online through the library's Digital Repository (see link below).

===National Agricultural Library Digital Repository===
The NAL Digital Repository, created in April 2006, serves as a digital archive of historical USDA documents. The repository contains over 600,000 pages of digitized texts. Publications contained in the repository include the issues of the ''Journal of Agricultural Research'' from 1913&ndash;1949 and the archives of the ''Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture'' dating back to 1894.<ref name="naldr">[http://naldr.nal.usda.gov/NALWeb/About.htm About NALDR] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115161446/http://naldr.nal.usda.gov/NALWeb/About.htm |date=2009-01-15 }}. National Agricultural Library. Retrieved on 2008-12-22.</ref>

===Information Centers===
NAL also houses several specialized information centers, which provide access to comprehensive and essential information resources focusing on the specific aspects of agricultural subjects. In addition to the general reference services  available at NAL, each center offers Internet access to resources enhancing information availability and dissemination. The centers have staff available to serve customers on-site as well as by phone, fax or email. The Information Centers at the National Agricultural Library include:

*Alternative Farming Systems Information Center
*Animal Welfare Information Center
*Food and Nutrition Information Center
**Nutrition.gov 
*Food Safety Research Information Office Center 
*National Invasive Species Information Center
*Rural Information Center
*Water and Agriculture Information Center

==== Animal Welfare Information Center ====
The Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC) is a centralized resource of information products, services, and activities that provide information on [[animal welfare]] in research, teaching, testing, and exhibition as specified by the Improved Standards for Laboratory Animals Act of 1985.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Animal Welfare Information Center|url=https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic|access-date=2021-09-22|website=www.nal.usda.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=About AWIC {{!}} Animal Welfare Information Center {{!}} NAL {{!}} USDA|url=https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/about-awic|access-date=2021-09-22|website=www.nal.usda.gov}}</ref> The 1985 Act was an amendment to the [[Animal Welfare Act of 1966]] (AWA), and mandated an information service at the NAL to provide information on employee training, preventing duplication of animal experiments, and improving animal experimentation methods by reducing or replacing animal use and minimizing animals' pain and distress.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=U.S.C. Title 7 - AGRICULTURE|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2015-title7/html/USCODE-2015-title7-chap54.htm|access-date=2021-09-22|website=www.govinfo.gov}}</ref> The center later became known as AWIC in 1986.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Science|first=National Research Council (US) Committee on Educational Programs in Laboratory Animal|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK235681/|title=The Animal Welfare Information Center|date=1991|publisher=National Academies Press (US)|language=en}}</ref>

The AWIC provides educational outreach through its website, free in-person and virtual workshops and trainings, the USDA NAL Twitter feed, and monthly newsletters.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=AWIC Workshop & Trainings {{!}} Animal Welfare Information Center {{!}} NAL {{!}} USDA|url=https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/awic-workshop|access-date=2021-09-22|website=www.nal.usda.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=USDA Agricultural Research Service|url=https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAARS/subscriber/new?topic_id=USDAARS_3|access-date=2021-09-22|website=public.govdelivery.com}}</ref> Outreach topics focus on the AWA and its amendments, the [[Three Rs (animal research)|Three Rs]] principles (reduction, replacement, and refinement of animal use), and alternatives literature searching.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Animal Welfare Act {{!}} Animal Welfare Information Center {{!}} NAL {{!}} USDA|url=https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/animal-welfare-act|access-date=2021-09-22|website=www.nal.usda.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=3Rs Alternatives: Technologies and Approaches {{!}} Animal Welfare Information Center {{!}} NAL {{!}} USDA|url=https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/3rs-alternatives-technologies-and-approaches|access-date=2021-09-22|website=www.nal.usda.gov|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Alternatives Literature Searching {{!}} Animal Welfare Information Center {{!}} NAL {{!}} USDA|url=https://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/alternatives-literature-searching|access-date=2021-09-22|website=www.nal.usda.gov}}</ref> This information is available to the public, but is specifically targeted towards scientists, veterinarians, animal care staff, librarians, and students. AWIC also provides free literature searching services upon request.<ref name=":2" />

AWIC supports the research community by assisting with their alternatives literature search, which is one way it meets the AWA requirement to consider alternatives.<ref>{{Cite web|title=govinfo|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-1989-08-31|access-date=2021-09-22|website=www.govinfo.gov|language=en}}</ref> Scientists working with animals are required to provide their institution's [[Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee]]s (IACUCs) with documentation demonstrating that alternatives to painful or distressful procedures were considered and that experiments are not unnecessarily duplicative.<ref name=":1" /> These literature searches help identify 3Rs alternative methods to and within animal experimentation.

==== Food Safety Research Information Office Center ====
The Food Safety Research Information Office (FSRIO) collects, organizes, and disseminates food safety information in accordance with the [[Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Food Safety Research Information Office |url=https://www.nal.usda.gov/fsrio |access-date=2021-03-31 |website=www.nal.usda.gov}}</ref><ref name=":03">{{Cite web |last=Combest |first=Larry |date=1998-02-24 |title=H.R.2534 - 105th Congress (1997-1998): Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reauthorization Act of 1997 |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/house-bill/2534 |access-date=2021-03-31 |website=www.congress.gov}}</ref> The Act mandated that the [[United States Department of Agriculture|U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)]] establish an office to collect and maintain information on food safety studies to prevent duplicative research projects and to assist the government and private research organizations in determining research priorities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=GCN Staff |date=17 August 2001 |title=USDA puts research on menu - |url=https://fcw.com/articles/2001/08/17/usda-puts-research-on-menu.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417225517/https://fcw.com/articles/2001/08/17/usda-puts-research-on-menu.aspx/ |archive-date=17 April 2021 |access-date=31 March 2021 |website=FCW |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":03" /> The National Agricultural Library formally launched the office on July 2, 2001.<ref>{{Cite web |title=USDA Launches New Information-based Web Site on Food Safety Research Programs : USDA ARS |url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2001/usda-launches-new-information-based-web-site-on-food-safety-research-programs/ |access-date=2021-04-02 |website=www.ars.usda.gov}}</ref>

FSRIO's mission also includes disseminating information to the general public   on publicly funded (including university investigations)<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |title=USDA ARS Online Magazine Vol. 54, No. 2 |url=https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/2006/feb/form/ |access-date=2021-03-31 |website=agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov}}</ref> and, as much as possible, privately funded research initiatives.  The office assists the Federal Government and private research entities with assessing food safety research needs; while also supporting the research community through organizing, collecting, and disseminating food safety research information.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About FSRIO |url=https://www.nal.usda.gov/fsrio/about-fsrio-0 |access-date=2021-03-31 |website=www.nal.usda.gov}}</ref> FSRIO also makes food safety investigations conducted through the [[Agricultural Research Service]] and from across other U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies available to researchers as well as projects from the [[Food and Drug Administration]] and the [[National Institutes of Health]].<ref name=":13" />

FSRIO maintains a searchable database on more than 1,700 food safety research products dating from 1996 to the present.<ref>{{Cite web |title=USDA launches Web site on food safety research programs |url=https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2001-09-15/usda-launches-web-site-food-safety-research-programs |access-date=2021-03-31 |website=American Veterinary Medical Association |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":13" />  The collection is indexed using the [[National Agricultural Library Thesaurus and Glossary|National Agricultural Library Thesaurus]] (NALT).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-10-26 |title=National Agricultural Library Data Now Open, and Linked |url=https://foodtechconnect.com/2011/10/26/national-agricultural-library-data-now-open-and-linked/ |access-date=2021-03-31 |website=Food+Tech Connect |language=en-US}}</ref> The Thesaurus and its glossary are online vocabulary tools of agricultural and related terms in English and Spanish cooperatively produced through NAL, USDA, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, and other Latin American agricultural institutions in the Agriculture Information and Documentation Service of the Americas (SIDALC).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to the Thesaurus and Glossary {{!}} NAL Agricultural Thesaurus and Glossary |url=https://agclass.nal.usda.gov/ |access-date=2021-04-02 |website=agclass.nal.usda.gov}}</ref> In 2016, FSRIO created a repository of "Meet the Expert" videos that include content from a variety of sources.  The videos highlight the latest food safety research applications conducted at USDA and other federal agencies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=USDA's National Agricultural Library Launches New Online Food Safety Video Collection |url=https://www.food-safety.com/articles/5081-usdae28099s-national-agricultural-library-launches-new-online-food-safety-video-collection?v=preview |access-date=2021-03-31 |website=www.food-safety.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Meet the Experts |url=https://www.nal.usda.gov/fsrio/experts |access-date=2021-03-31 |website=www.nal.usda.gov |language=en}}</ref>

==== Food and Nutrition Information Center ====
In 1971, the Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC)<ref>Also referred to as the Food and Nutrition Information and Education Resources Center in the [[Food and Agriculture Act of 1977]] as amended § 1411, {{UnitedStatesCode|7|3126}}.</ref> was established as a national repository of training and educational materials for the staff of USDA's Child Nutrition Programs (e.g. school lunch programs).<ref name=":23">{{Cite journal |last=MLS |first=Mary E. Lassanyi BA and MA and |date=2008-10-11 |title=Information Centers of the National Agricultural Library, U.S. Department of Agriculture |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J108V03N01_06 |journal=Journal of Agricultural & Food Information |volume=3 |pages=47–57 |language=en |doi=10.1300/J108V03N01_06}}</ref>  The [[Food and Agriculture Act of 1977]] furthered the mission of FNIC also to be a resource for state education agencies and interested members of the general public.<ref name=":23" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=95th Congress |date=1977 |title=Food and Agricultural Act of 1977 |url=https://nationalaglawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/assets/farmbills/1977-1.pdf |access-date=April 1, 2021 |website=National Agricultural Law Center |pages=1511}}</ref> FNIC covers topics related to [[Diet (nutrition)|dietary guidelines]] and supplements, and [[Food composition data|food composition]]. It also maintains a database of extensive food, nutrition, and related topics and resource lists.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Web Watch: Nutrition |url=https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=web-watch-nutrition |access-date=2021-04-01 |website=Library Journal}}</ref>  Currently, the FNIC website contains links to over 2,500 current and reliable resources on nutrition and is regularly updated by a staff of [[Dietitian|registered dietitians]].<ref name=":33">{{Cite web |title=About Us {{!}} Nutrition.gov |url=https://www.nutrition.gov/about-us |access-date=2021-04-01 |website=www.nutrition.gov}}</ref>

FNIC offers a [[Dietary Reference Intake]]s (DRIs) (established Health and Medicine Division of the [[National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine|National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine]])<ref name=":42">{{Cite web |title=DRI Calculator for Healthcare Professionals |url=https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/dri-calculator/ |access-date=2021-04-02 |website=www.nal.usda.gov}}</ref> calculator for daily nutrient recommendations, healthy recipes, educational materials, professional resources, [[List of food labeling regulations|food labeling]] information, and consumer food safety information, among other resources.<ref name=":42" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=FNIC Homepage |url=https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic |access-date=2021-04-02 |website=www.nal.usda.gov}}</ref>   In 2019, FNIC expanded their Spanish language website, "En Español” which offers over forty web pages translated into Spanish.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nutrition.gov Brings You More Nutrition Resources in Spanish |url=https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2017/10/03/nutritiongov-brings-you-more-nutrition-resources-spanish |access-date=2021-04-02 |website=www.usda.gov |language=en}}</ref> With the 2020 [[COVID-19 pandemic|coronavirus pandemic]], FNIC expanded the site to offer a recipe page with recipes from both Federal and [[Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service|Cooperative Extension]] sites; the recipe library is updated regularly.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cook Healthy at Home with Nutrition.gov's New Recipe Page |url=https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2020/08/03/cook-healthy-home-nutritiongovs-new-recipe-page |access-date=2021-04-02 |website=www.usda.gov |language=en}}</ref>

==== Nutrition.gov ====
Nutrition.gov is a USDA-sponsored website created and maintained by the Food and Nutrition Information Center.  The website receives content guidance from a USDA working group of scientific experts in food and nutrition and the [[United States Department of Health and Human Services|U.S. Department of Health and Human Services]] (HHS).<ref name=":33"/> Launched in 2004, Nutrition.gov is a part of the USDA's Obesity Intervention Plan and is funded by the Research, Education and Economics (REE) mission area of USDA.<ref name=":33" /> Nutrition.gov provides consumers with access to up-to-date, reliable information about food, healthy eating, food safety, and physical activity.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welcome to the New Nutrition.gov Website! |url=https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2019/06/03/welcome-new-nutritiongov-website |access-date=2021-04-02 |website=www.usda.gov |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|33em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}
* [https://pubag.nal.usda.gov/ PubAg] — portal to agricultural research publications
* [https://data.nal.usda.gov/ Ag Data Commons] — data catalog of agricultural research datasets
* [https://www.lcacommons.gov/ LCA Commons]
* [https://i5k.nal.usda.gov/ i5K Workspace @NAL]
* [https://specialcollections.nal.usda.gov/ NAL Special Collections]
* [https://usdawatercolors.nal.usda.gov NAL USDA Pomological Watercolors]
* [https://agclass.nal.usda.gov/agt.shtml NAL Agricultural Thesaurus]
* {{Internet Archive|usdanationalagriculturallibrary|USDA National Agricultural Library}}

{{USDA agencies}}
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{{USDA}}

{{LOC-general}}

[[Category:United States National Agricultural Library| ]]
[[Category:Agriculture in the United States|National Agricultural Library]]
[[Category:National libraries in the United States|Agricultural]]
[[Category:United States Department of Agriculture facilities|National Agricultural Library]]
[[Category:Libraries in Maryland]]
[[Category:Libraries in Washington, D.C.|National Agricultural Library]]
[[Category:Bibliographic database providers]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Prince George's County, Maryland]]
[[Category:Beltsville, Maryland]]
[[Category:Agricultural organizations based in the United States]]
[[Category:Libraries established in 1862]]
[[Category:1862 establishments in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:1862 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Library buildings completed in 1969]]
[[Category:1969 establishments in Maryland]]
[[Category:Research libraries in the United States]]