Action Plan

The mission of USAIN is to provide a forum for discussion of food and agricultural issues; to take a leadership role in the formation of a national information policy as related to food and agriculture; to support the National Agricultural Library (NAL) on food and agricultural information matters; to promote cooperation and communication among its members, and with other organizations and individuals.

USAIN Action Plan 2020-2023 (pdf)

 Action Plan Goals:

Goal 1:  Strengthen membership and increase participation in USAIN by members and other food and agricultural information professionals.
Objective 1. Retain present members and broaden membership base.
  1. Review the USAIN mission for accurate reflection of the breadth and depth of the field of agriculture information
  2. Develop membership recruitment and retention strategies
  3. Continue recognition programs for outstanding individuals in, or supporting the field of, food and agricultural information
  4. Encourage new librarians or information professionals, graduate students, or librarians representing HBCU or tribal serving institutions with conference scholarships
Objective 2. Increase participation of membership and improve communication within USAIN.
  1. Provide a website with informative  content about USAIN and a platform for member participation
  2. Manage and assess communication tools and plan
  3. Expand virtual participation through a variety of communications and conferencing media
  4. Conduct membership surveys
  5. Coordinate with other organizations of similar interests to plan/participate in  programs on timely subjects
  6. Review and distribute the Action Plan to members and solicit feedback
  7. Review the role and activities of Interest Groups
  8. Guide and coordinate the work of Committees
Goal 2: Advocate for public policy, legislation, and institutions which support agricultural research and information communities.
Objective 1. Advocate for the National Agricultural Library as the leading U.S. resource for agricultural information.
  1. Act as an authoritative and influential advocate for NAL
  2. Promote member activism in regard to legislative and executive actions that impact NAL
  3. Encourage communication between NAL and USAIN regarding programs, services and avenues of cooperation
Objective 2. Foster collaboration between member institutions and with other strategic organizations.
  1. Promote liaisons and reciprocal memberships with other food and agricultural information organizations
  2. Create and strengthen partnerships with other library or food and agricultural information-related organizations
Objective 3. Enhance the visibility, credibility and favorable resolution of issues affecting fo​od and agricultural information at federal, state, and local levels.
  1. Lead efforts to open the access to digital historic agricultural publications through legal and policy coordination (development) across partner organizations (i.e., Hathi Trust)
  2. Promote initiatives that provide equal and open access to publicly funded research, including data, and born and reborn digital land-grant publications, especially extension and experiment station publications
Goal 3: Provide educational and professional development opportunities for members and others.
Objective 1. Promote biennial USAIN conference.
  1. Ensure opportunities for members to present at conference
  2. Archive conference presentations in Cornell’s repository
  3. Determine best model and technologies for virtual and/or in-person conference offerings (i.e, blended, all virtual, etc.)
Objective 2. Facilitate knowledge of professional opportunities in agricultural librarianship.
  1. Announce opportunities using USAIN LISTSERV to membership
  2. Bring a stronger awareness to the membership concerns of social parity for agricultural information
Objective 3. Co-sponsor preservation and digitization programs.
  1. Promote and support collaborative print preservation programs
  2. Promote and support participation by USAIN institutions in efforts to digitize the agricultural and food-related information produced by their institutions
Objective 4. Develop members’ skills so they continue as leaders in the creation, dissemination, and organization of food and agricultural information.
  1. Develop and utilize the USAIN website and LISTSERV as a platform for content delivery, communication, and skill sharing
  2. Demonstrate innovation and motivate members to adopt/adapt new and improved practices
  3. Encourage USAIN committees and  interest groups to host online events in  order to discuss or learn about current trends and/or follow up on conference themes
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