Staffing Agricultural Information System

Staffing Agricultural Information systems focusses on the manpower strategies required for exploiting our agricultural knowledge resources. Public investment in agriculturl research runs into millions of rupees. Optimum utilization of the knowledge so generated, necessitates quick access to and speedy dissemication of the information generated by by research . The efficiency of more than 30,000 scientists working in thousands of institutions in our country's agricultural sector depends on the quality of library and information support available. To harness the possibilities offered by IT in handling agricultural information, various projects like ARIS have been initiated. They have taken care of everything except the content and specialised staff for that. As information storage, organization and dissemination is as it was throughout the history; library centred it will go on like that in the coming centuries also whatever the medium used. Hence unless the library and information centres are automated. documents are digitised, and adequate library and information science professionals made available,the information system programme are not going to reach anywhere except installing huge number of computers and other equipments without any clear strategy. Information will remain away from these hardware and software. If agricultural information systems are togive intended results Library and Information Science and Electronics and Communication professionals have to work in close co-operation. This can enable unprecedented cost effectiveness, speed, efficiency and reliability in information services. Most live organisations have now recognised the vlue and importance of this aspect. Efficient information support depends on availability of information science professionals in required quality and quantity. All developed countries are very conscious of this from very early times which has contributed to their speed in development. We can not stay out of the band wagon. This study is on this disregarded and very important aspect; Staffing Agricultural Information Systems...