U.S. Agricultural statistics on the Internet: Extending the reach of the depository library

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economics and Statistics System is a shared venture between Albert R. Mann Library and the three USDA economic agencies. For almost two years, this successful service has made a growing collection of government-produced agricultural statistics available free of charge via the Internet. The Library provides a value-added service by organizing the data, providing reference support to the information, and preserving the information for future access. Methods for incorporating electronic information into the day-to-day activities of the depository collection are discussed, including staff training, bibliographic control, and reference support. This service is presented as a model to facilitate discussion about a future electronic depository program.