2. Overview<\/a><\/p>\n 3. Administrative<\/a><\/p>\n 4. Content, Programming and Services<\/a><\/p>\n 5. Serving Users<\/a><\/p>\n 6. Outreach Activities<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n During this reporting period (July 2021-June 2022), the ACDC returned to standard fiscal year reporting and the past twelve months brought major changes in staffing, operations, and outreach activities. In addition, the ACDC experienced adjustment due to the transition back from the <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/span>Assistant Professor Janis Shearer served as head of ACDC during this administrative period, as <\/span>part of her faculty services within Funk ACES Library.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Kevin Wiggins, graduate student in the Information Science Program, continued serving as a graduate assistant on a quarter-time basis. This appointment was in association with his graduate studies, and it continued through May 2022. In June 2022, he accepted a teaching assistantship with the history department.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Library and Information Science graduate student Rachel Riffe was hired as a graduate assistant in July of 2021 on a quarter-time basis for the 2021-2022 academic year. In May she transitioned to serving on an hourly basis and will return for the 2022-2023 academic year<\/p>\n Volunteer associates continued to play an active role in the ongoing success of the Center. They identified relevant literature from throughout the world, assisted in project development, offered counsel, and provided contacts. Associates during this period included, Jim Evans, emeritus professor of agricultural communications, University of Illinois; Liz Harfull, associate for the Asia\/Pacific Region, based in South Australia; and Paul Hixson, emeritus chief information officer, University of Illinois. Alumna Eunchae Hong continues with the ACDC on a volunteer basis, working on the continued processing of the Robert and Susanne Morris collection.<\/p>\n During August of 2021, staff members prepared for the first in-person semester since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. ACDC services continued via virtual platforms but also through agricultural communications (AGCM) student presence in the center. Also, the staff prepared and distributed the 2020-2021 ACDC Progress Report; revised the ACDC Libguide and updated the ACDC Manual and Website. Graduate Assistant Wiggins continued to process the contributed Robert and Susanne Morris Collection. In October, the ACDC underwent a preservation assessment by graduate students Riffe and Wiggins for use in their IS 523 Preservation of Information Resources course. This assessment resulted in sending ACDC\u2019s film reels to be cleaned and digitized, the 4th floor shelves were added to the Funk cleaning schedule, and it provided confirmation that the ACDC is meeting preservation standards.<\/p>\n A major project which occurred throughout November- January was the intake of a bulk delivery of documents from Associate Evans which he had compiled throughout the COVID-19 shutdown. This required the review of the boxes located on the 4th floor stacks, removing duplicates, and Staff members updated the curated services section of the ACDC website, adding and replacing six links, as well as deleting five outdated links. The Information Technology manager for infrastructure in the University of Illinois Library reported that the Bibleaves system used by ACDC Online metrics limitations persisted during this period. The ACDC staff continued to document need and to request IT improvements that will provide detailed metrics involving information needs and requests, searching patterns, and other online activities of those who visit the ACDC collection and website.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The ACDC collection consisted of 47,972 documents at the end of June 2022. About 490 documents were added to the BibLeaves database during the period. This includes documents housed in the ACDC\u2019s collection, as well as citations of materials held at other libraries on campus. <\/p>\n *Represents the 18-month period between Jan. 2020 \u2013 June 2021<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Of the 490+ documents that were added to the BibLeaves database during the twelve-month period covered in this report, the ACDC collected a variety of formats. Most of the collection document types fell under online article, journal article, or other. Some of the ACDC\u2019s top sources from this period include The Packer, Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education, Journal of Agricultural Extension, Sustainability, and the Journal of Agricultural Economics. The bulk of newly published works for this period were born-digital, though a selection of physical works were donated and are awaiting cataloging by associate Evans.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Staff members continued to identify appropriate documents for the ACDC collection, using mainly online search protocols, and preparing citations for deposit and publication in the Bibleaves system.<\/p>\n Graduate assistant Wiggins devoted most of his effort during the period to processing the extensive Morris Collection \u2013 reviewing and selecting materials, rehousing items in acid-free folders and boxes, and planning the finding aid to be developed.<\/p>\n Staff members reviewed and considered offers from several retired or retiring professional communicators and leaders, agricultural media organizations, and others who reported having resource materials they would consider contributing to ACDC, including a new Chris Scherer Collection which has been under review by associate Evans.<\/p>\n Associate Evans continued to review an extensive historical collection involving project files that feature dozens of international initiatives of the Office of Agricultural Communications, University of Illinois College of Agriculture. They span a period from the late 1940s to mid-1990s. Citations for selected materials were prepared in Bibleaves.<\/p>\n Links to several communicator organizations were added to the \u201cGateway to Useful Links\u201d section of the ACDC website.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Head Shearer conferred with a selection of ACES faculty members about potentials for ACDC to engage with, and serve, them and their programming interests. Examples include faculty members in the Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications (ALEC) Program of the College of Staff members also discussed potential opportunities for such collaborations during their monthly staff meetings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n This open-access online newsletter was prepared and distributed monthly during the period. T<\/span>welve issues featured selected agricultural communications topics in journal articles, books, <\/span>research reports, news media, commentaries, gatherings, and other settings. Some examples: <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Issues were circulated to an estimated 900-1,000 agricultural communications professionals, <\/span>academics, students, and others in the U.S. and beyond. Outlets included the ACDC website, an <\/span>ACDC News listserv, and members of the Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, <\/span>Natural Resources, and Life and Human Sciences (ACE).<\/span> The ACDC News listserv was managed <\/span>actively, providing a bounce-back rate of only three-tenths of one percent. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Outreach over social media took place through the ACDC\u2019s Twitter account. The account is used to <\/span>interact with the Funk ACES Library, industry professionals, and users of the Bibleaves citation <\/span>database. It is updated with current updates relevant to center events, local programming at the U<\/span>niversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and to advertise the publishing of the Center\u2019s <\/span>newsletters. Twitter interaction was mainly with the Funk ACES Library account, and other <\/span>University accounts.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The University of Illinois continued to serve as a national “Center of Excellence” in <\/span>agricultural communications as a partner in the Agriculture Network Information <\/span> <\/a><\/p>\n This professional, The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ), organization serves some 5,000 members in 60 countries. A long-<\/span>time collaboration with ACDC continued during this period. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n
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\n\u00a0Strategic Framework<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
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\n\u00a0Overview<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
\ncampus\u2019 COVID-19 shutdown. Even so, staff members continued to provide excellent service and commitment to ACDC users and wider community. The Center continued work on existing projects and evaluated improved opportunities for collaboration and outreach.<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>Administrative<\/h3>\n
Staffing and Operations <\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n
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\nrelabeling. This endeavor uncovered a larger concern involving the way files were assigned to boxes throughout the pandemic and the resulting potential usability challenges which was addressed over the spring semester.<\/p>\n
\n<\/a>\u00a0System Development<\/h3>\n
\nis running on an outdated version of software and will need a major ground-up rewrite soon.<\/p>\n
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Document Collection <\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n
<\/span>Growth of the ACDC Collections: <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n
\nThis continued the upward trend but fell short of the goal of 100 documents added per month. The shortfall was due primarily to time invested in special projects and emphasis on processing new contributed collections as well as organizing an influx of documents from that had built up over the course of COVID-19.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/funkaces\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/53\/2022\/09\/Picture3-300x185.png\")
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Top Document Formats<\/h4>\n
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Contributed Collections<\/h4>\n
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Opportunities for Collaboration<\/h4>\n
\nACES and the statewide Illinois Extension Service.<\/p>\n
\nServing Users<\/h3>\n
ACDC Newsletter<\/h4>\n
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\nOutreach Activities<\/h3>\n
Partnership with AgNIC:<\/h4>\n
Collaborative (AgNIC) of the National Agricultural Library. ACDC serves as the <\/span>portal for information about agricultural communications within this worldwide <\/span>online agricultural information system.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\nPartnership with IFAJ:<\/h4>\n
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through the end of the period.<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n