Customer Service Statement

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The National Agricultural Library seeks to provide the highest level of customer service by meeting or exceeding customer expectations for the delivery of quality agricultural information.
Spotlights
Our Vision

The National Agricultural Library: Advancing access to global information for agriculture.
Our Customers

The National Agricultural Library serves national and international customers, including researchers, educators, policymakers, information providers, agricultural producers, students, and the general public.

Product and service levels, as well as usage fees, vary based on the customer's relationship with USDA. Contact us for details.
Our Commitment to Service

The National Agricultural Library staff provides high-quality products and services.

At NAL you can expect:

  • Knowledgeable and courteous staff dedicated to meeting your needs effectively.
  • Extensive collections covering agriculture and related subjects.
  • Production of AGRICOLA, the catalog and index to the Library's print and electronic collections.
  • Multiple points of access, including on-site visits, telephone, TDD, fax, mail, e-mail, and Web-based forms.
  • Responses within ten business days to requests that require library research.
  • Delivery of material from the general collection within twenty minutes of an on-site request.
  • Books and articles provided within four days, most within two, in response to off-site requests, regardless of how the request is submitted.
  • Delivery of high-quality photocopies, duplicated microforms, or library materials using the delivery method you choose and that is appropriate for the material:
    • post to Web
    • e-mail attachment
    • ARIEL
    • fax
    • surface mail
  • Reading rooms that provide an environment conducive to library research.
  • New products and services developed to meet your needs in response to your suggestions and in conjunction with advancing technologies.
  • Innovative programs designed to evaluate and develop new methods for the collection, preservation, and delivery of agricultural information.
  • Project results and new program developments communicated through newsletters, press releases, the Internet, and other outreach methods.