WSU Libraries to Host National Ag Information Conference in May 2018

WSU Libraries will host the 16^th U.S. Agricultural Information Network (USAIN) Biennial Conference May 13-16 in Pullman, the first time members will convene in the state.

“This conference has never been hosted west of Arizona, so it’s a big opportunity for WSU to showcase Washington state agriculture,” said WSU agriculture librarian and conference chairwoman Lara Cummings. “Approximately 100 agriculture and science librarians from around the nation will attend.”

USAIN provides a forum for information professionals to discuss food and agricultural issues; influences the formation of a national information policy related to food and agriculture; makes recommendations to the National Agricultural Library (NAL) on agricultural information matters; and promotes cooperation and communication among its members and with other organizations and individuals.

Keynote speaker for the conference will be Carolyn Ross, associate professor and director of WSU’s Food Science Sensory Laboratory. One of WSU’s top food scientists, Ross has studied waste streams in food production and worked to look at the influence of long-term ozone exposure on the nutritional and sensory properties of different crops. She has conducted sensory studies on the biodynamics and organics of fruits and vegetables through her lab.

NAL director Paul Wester will also speak at the conference. Prior to heading NAL, Wester worked for the National Archives and Records Administration and was the U.S. government’s first chief records officer. The NAL is one of four national libraries and houses one of the world’s largest collections devoted to agriculture and its related sciences.

For more information about the 2018 conference, visit: http://libguides.libraries.wsu.edu/usain2018.