Section 1

USDA Under Secretary Miley Gonzales and Deputy Department Secretary Rominger appointed the present Panel in October 2000 to conduct a study of the National Agricultural Library to, in words of the charge:

"…review the activities of the National Agricultural Library in pursuit of its mandate to serve as the chief agricultural information resource of the United States and make recommendations to the Under Secretary, Research, Education, and Economics on NAL's management, staff, programs and operations."

The complete statement of the charge is provided in Appendix A. The Secretaries appointed 13 members from various parts of the country, representing a variety of experiences in libraries or agriculture, and named as chair Larry N. Vanderhoef, Chancellor of the University of California, Davis. Two consultants were added on recommendation of the Panel Chair. Members of the Panel are listed at the conclusion to this report. The Department Secretaries requested that the Panel's work be concluded in a period not to exceed twelve months from its appointment, making the final date October 2001. We herewith provide a full report of its activity and major recommendations. The review may have special utility given the June 2001 retirement of the current director.