2. Commercial:

Farmers, who are involved in exporting crops, also need commercial information to maximize their profits. This includes information relating to agricultural credits and co-operatives, national prices for export commodities and information on agro-based products.

3. Social:

This includes information on traditional Agricultural practices, local cultures, background information on local communities and availability of labour.

4. Legal:

Farmers require legislation relating to ownership of and distribution of land, sale of Agricultural production and etc. Favourable laws will help them to maximize their production.

Role of agricultural university libraries in the development of human resources in Bangladesh:

Information is an important resource, valuable input and power for societal development. It is power as it is the basis of all planning, indeed of all activities everywhere and every body. There is no field of human activity where information is not a component. The objectives of the universities are to make provision for education in agriculture and to promote research, extension programmes in this field and thereby increase Agricultural production.10 Libraries are, by there very nature, the centres for the spreas of knowledge and information and as such, they can play a very vital role in the spread of Agricultural development in Bangladesh. All the above Agricultural university libraries in Bangladesh have been playing an important role in the field of Agricultural education, research and extension. University library is the heart of that university. Man can not live without his heart. Similarly with out a library, a university can not exist. All the agricultural university are making significant role in producing agricultural graduates and Masters degree holders and Ph.D. degree holders in Bangladesh. All the agricultural degree holders become successful with the help of libraries. They are working in various fields of agriculture so that the country becomes prosperous.

Agricultural university libraries collections are important sources of agricultural information in Bangladesh. Except rural farmers who frequently acquire information daily verbal changes with fellow farmers, other agricultural information seekers in Bangladesh, heavily rely on documented sources stored in libraries. By supplying this latter group including students, teachers, extension workers and researchers, agricultural documents such as books, journals, reports, agricultural university libraries provide the users coded agricultural information.” The above discussed five agricultural university libraries meeting the needs of agricultural graduates in various fields of agriculture. These agricultural graduates after joining in service like research, extension and education are becoming human resources. The agricultural educators have been doing well in various fields of agricultural sectors after the independence of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. With the help of these graduates, it is possible to make country self-sufficiency in food sector by the help of proper information supplied to them. So we can say that all the above agricultural university libraries working for making Agricultural graduates as human resources for the country. With a view to cater the information needs of students, teachers, researchers and extension personnel of the country, the above libraries providing information.

Conclusion:

The role of agricultural university library in the development of human resources cannot be over emphasized. The need for harnessing information to support various educational, research and extension activities of our agriculture sector relating to planning and development of Agricultural libraries is very essential. Agricultural university libraries are in the initial stage of development. Modem technologies in the aforesaid libraries are now being utilized to satisfy the information needs of the users. There is an urgent need to plan the allocation of resources and services at the national level so as to avoid duplication of efforts. The staff working in these libraries needs training and exposure to new techniques available at national and international level. This will help them to provide appropriate information to the agricultural information users.

Dr. Md. Hanif Uddin

Assistant Professor ,Dept. of Information Science and Library Management,
University of Dhaka
Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh

References:

1. Aina, L.O, Kaniki A. M. and Ojiambo, J.B. (edited). Agricultural information in Africa. Ibadan: Third World Information Services Ltd., 1995, P-VI.

2. Ibid, P-I.

3. Dervin, B. The everyday information needs of the Average citizen:A Taxonomy for Analysis in H. Cochen and J.C. Donohue, Information for community. Chicago: American Library Association, 1976, Pp-19-38.

4. Brammer, Hugh. Agro-ecological aspects of agricultural research in Bangladesh. Dhaka: UPL, 2000, Pp-54-58.

5. The Independent. The Independent Bangladesh Yearbook 1999. Dhaka: Beximco media, 2000, p-18.

6. Annals of Library Science and Documentation. Vol. 47(3); 2000, p-115.

7. Ibid, p-115.

8. Hanif Uddin, Md. Assessment of Information Needs for the Agricultural Scientists and Researchers of Bangladesh (Ph.D. Thesis). University of Dhaka: Dept. ofISLM, p-45.

9. Aina, L.O. An Empirical Analysis of the information component of agriculture extension service in Ibadan area (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation). University of Ibadan: LIS dept, 1986, 374 p.

10. Hanif Uddin, Md. Assessment of Information Needs for the Agricultural Scientists and Researchers of Bangladesh (Ph.D. Thesis). University of Dhaka: Dept. of ISLM, p-128.

11. Journal of Library and information science. Vol. 24, No. 2, Dec. 99,
p-163.

Paper presented at the International Seminar on “Role of Libraries in Human Resource Development in Bangladesh”, jointly organized by the Library Association of Bangladesh, Rajshahi Division and Institute for Library and Information Studies, Rajshahi, Bangladesh on December 20, 2003

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