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You are here: Home / Web Policies and Important Links 
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Web Policies and Important Links
Here is a list of NAL's Statements and Disclaimers. Where applicable there are links to the appropriate pages on the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) or United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) sites. If you have any comments or questions about the information presented here, please forward them to the Webmaster.
Accessibility Statement
There are a number of standards and guidelines that describe the elements of
accessible Web pages as well as listings of companies that provide assistive computer technology including screen reading software. More...
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BooleanCUBE
This software and any associated documentation are provided "as is," and the National
Agricultural Library (NAL), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Beltsville, MD, makes no representations or warranties, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, including those of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, or that use of the software, modifications, or associated documentation will not infringe any patents, copyrights, trademarks or other intellectual property rights of a third party. NAL, ARS, USDA shall not be liable under any circumstances for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages with respect to any claim by the user of this software or any third party on account of or arising from the use, or inability to use, this software or its associated documentation. Changes in the Voyager system may necessitate corresponding changes in BooleanCUBE; NAL makes no representation or warranty in respect to such changes.

BooleanCUBE software was developed by Rachel Maderik, with assistance from Stuart Gagnon, both of NAL's Water Quality Information Center.

The terms "Voyager" and "WebVoyage" are the property of Endeavor Information Systems, Inc. which in no way endorses this product.

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Commercial Endorsement Disclaimer
The use of trade, firm or corporation names in this publication (or page) is for the
information and convenience of the reader. More...
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Freedom of Information Act
USDA's site explains "the FOIA is found in Title 5 of the United States Code, Section 552.
FOIA was enacted in 1966 and gives any person the right to request access to almost any federal agency record, except those protected from disclosure by legal exemptions and exclusions (e.g., classified national security, business proprietary, personal privacy, and investigative documents.) More...

NAL is part of the Agricultural Research Service, therefore FOIA requests for NAL should be sent through ARS.

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Government System Usage Policy
This information service operates on a U.S. Government computer system.
This system is monitored to ensure proper operation, to verify the functioning of applicable security features, and for other like purposes. More...
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Information Quality
In compliance with the requirements of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Quality of
Information Guidelines, this page provides information pertaining to requests for correction of information disseminated by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). More...
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NAL Agricultural Thesaurus and Glossary
NAL Agricultural Thesaurus Report and Files (En Español)

NAL Agricultural Thesaurus is the National Agricultural Library's controlled vocabulary. Alphabetical and Subject Category thesaurus reports are available on the NAL Agricultural Thesaurus website. Paper copies are not available. Files of the data are available on the thesaurus web site or by writing to Thesaurus Staff via e-mail or by mail at: National Agricultural Library, c/o Lori Finch, Room 011, 10301 Baltimore Ave, Beltsville, MD 20705 USA. The NAL Agricultural Thesaurus is updated annually. Users are encouraged to obtain and reference the latest edition.

Terms and Conditions of Use

No license is required to obtain the data contained in the NAL Agricultural Thesaurus and Glossary. Use of the data are subject to the following restrictions and by obtaining a copy of the data, the user is understood to abide by these conditions:

  1. If the use is not personal, (1) the U.S. National Agricultural Library must be identified as the creator, maintainer, and provider of the data; (2) the version of the data must be clearly stated by the year, e.g. 2004 NAL Thesaurus; and (3) if any modification is made in the content of the file, this must be stated, along with a description of the modifications.
  2. Neither the United States Government, nor any of its agencies, contractors, subcontractors or employees makes any warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to data contained in the database, and, furthermore, assumes no legal liability for any party's use, or the results of such use, of any part of the database.
  3. You will not assert any proprietary rights to any portion of the database, or represent the database or any part thereof to anyone as other than a United States Government database.
  4. The NAL Agricultural Thesaurus data carry an international copyright outside of the United States, its Territories or Possessions. These terms and conditions are in effect as long as the user retains any of the NAL Agricultural Thesaurus data obtained from this site.
Definitions

The definitions contained in the Glossary and NAL Agricultural Thesaurus do not constitute USDA’s official use of terms and phrases for regulatory purposes, and nothing in these documents should be construed to alter or supplant any other Federal document. Official terminology may be found in the laws and regulations as published in the Congressional Record, Federal Register, and other such sources.

Availability

The data are available to all requesters, both within and outside the United States. There is no charge for obtaining the file. Files of the data are available on the thesaurus web site or by writing to Thesaurus Staff via e-mail or by mail at: National Agricultural Library, c/o Lori Finch, Room 011, 10301 Baltimore Ave, Beltsville, MD 20705 USA.

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NAL Commitment to Environmental Excellence

  • The National Agricultural Library collects and disseminates information critical to the sustainability of and improvement to the Nation's basic agricultural resources. Intellectual resources maintained and provided by the NAL contribute to the preservation, protection, and development of the nation's agricultural self-sufficiency and productivity, the quality of national life, and the maintenance of the nation's public health. The NAL fulfills statutory responsibilities for the conservation and collec¬tion of historical records, statistical information and research documentation relevant to agricultural activities nationwide.
  • In conjunction with this mission, NAL is committed to protecting human health and the environment; meeting or exceeding Federal, State, and local laws, regulations, codes, and guidelines; and employing sustainable pollution prevention and resource conservation practices. We will strive to minimize impacts and continually improve our environmental performance by:
  • Maintaining a policy of commitment to environmental excellence.
  • Considering environmental impacts when making policy, planning, purchasing, and operating decisions.
  • Making personnel aware of their environmental roles and responsibilities, providing appropriate training, and holding employees accountable for their performance and actions, including recognizing them for outstanding performance.
  • Effectively communicating with employees, partners, stakeholders, customers, and the general public, our commitment to the environment and soliciting their input in developing and achieving our goals and objectives.
  • Identifying and complying with pertinent requirements in Executive Orders; Federal, State, and local laws and regulations; permits; Department of Agriculture and ARS policies and procedures; and industry codes that we must adhere to.
  • Developing annual goals, objectives, and targets and measuring progress as we advance our program performance in terms of both regulated and unregulated impacts.
  • Requesting the necessary resources to successfully carry out our goals, objectives, and targets.
  • Routinely monitoring our environmental system and conducting periodic inspections, audits, and reviews to ascertain that we meet applicable standards and to evaluate our program effectiveness.
  • Correcting identified deficiencies in a timely manner and taking appropriate steps to prevent their recurrence.
  • Clearly documenting and reporting the progress and achievements related to this policy.
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NAL Copyright Statement
Most information presented on the NAL Web site is considered public domain information.
Public domain information may be freely distributed or copied, but use of appropriate byline/photo/image credits is requested. Attribution may be cited as follows: "National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture."

Some materials on the NAL Web site are protected by copyright, trademark, or patent restrictions, and/or are provided for personal use only. Such materials are used by NAL with permission, and NAL has made every attempt to identify and clearly label them. You may need to obtain permission from the copyright, trademark, or patent holder to acquire, use, reproduce, or distribute these materials.

Links to Other Sites from the NAL Web Site

The NAL Web site has links to many other Web sites. Once another site is accessed through a link on the NAL Web site, the copyright and licensing restrictions of the new site apply.

It is the sole responsibility of those visiting this Web site to examine carefully its content and that of all linked pages for copyright and licensing restrictions and to secure all necessary permissions.

Copyright Restrictions for Requesting Library Materials

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a customer makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that customer may be liable for copyright infringement.

NAL reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in the judgment of NAL staff, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.

Additional Copyright Information

Issues concerning copyright compliance are complicated and challenging for both libraries and their customers. Below is a list of sites at universities, commercial entities, professional associations, and other federal sites that may provide useful information on copyright if you have questions or want to learn more about this important area.

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NAL Mailing List Disclaimer
The National Agricultural Library hosts email based discussion groups to facilitate information
exchange. The views, opinions, and validity of information expressed are solely the responsibility of the original sender. The use of trade, firm, or corporation names and the data provided are for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the United States Department of Agriculture or the National Agricultural Library of any product, service, or information to the exclusion of others that may be suitable.
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NAL Privacy Policy
(Note: The NAL Privacy Policy is based upon the USDA Privacy Policy).

Thank you for visiting the National Agricultural Library (NAL) Web site and reviewing this privacy statement. NAL's privacy policy is clear: No personal information will be collected about you when you visit this Web site unless you choose to provide that information.

Visitor Information Collected and Stored Automatically

If you do nothing during your visit but browse through the Web site, read pages, or download information, certain information about your visit will automatically be gathered and stored. This information does not identify you personally. Only the following information about your visit will be collected and stored :

  1. The Internet domain or the IP address from which you access the Web site. Your Internet domain is your Internet Service Provider (ISP), such as "xcompany.com" if you use a private Internet access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you connect from a university's domain. The IP address is a number assigned (usually at random) to your computer by your ISP whenever you access the Internet.
  2. The type of browser and operating system used to access the site.
  3. The date and time you access NAL's site.
  4. The pages you visit.
  5. If you linked to the NAL Web site from another Web site, the address of that Web site.

This information is used to help make NAL's site more useful to visitors, to learn about the number of visitors to the site and the types of technology visitors are using. Information about individuals and their visits is not tracked or recorded.

If You Choose To Send Personal Information

If you choose to provide personal information, as in an e-mail to the NAL or by filling out a form with your personal information and submitting it through the Web site, that information is only used to respond to your message and to help locate the information you have requested. E-mail messages are treated the same as letters sent to NAL. It is required that NAL maintain many documents under the Presidential Records Act for historical purposes; however, personal information is not collected for any purpose other than to respond to you. The information you give us is only shared with another government agency if your inquiry relates to that agency, or as otherwise required by law. Moreover, individual profiles are not created with the information you provide or given to any private organizations. NAL does not collect information for commercial marketing.

Links to Other Sites

NAL's Web site has links to many other Web sites. Once you access another site through a link from the NAL Web site, you are subject to the privacy policy of the new site.

Web Site Security

For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this government computer system employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage.

Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, no other attempts are made to identify individual users or their usage habits. Raw data logs are used for no other purposes.

Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on this service are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act.

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No Fear Act
On May 15, 2002, President Bush signed legislation called the No FEAR Act
(Notification and Federal Anti-Discrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002). This law became effective on October 1, 2003. The primary purpose of the Act is to improve agency accountability for antidiscrimination and whistleblower laws. More...
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Non-discrimination Statement
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs
and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information... More...
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Last Modified: Jan 28, 2010  
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