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Sample Article Title
Department, Institution, City,
State/Province/Prefecture, Zip Code/Postal Code
Corresponding author (TGIF@msu.edu)
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ABSTRACT |
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A campaign to establish an endowment which will stabilize funding
for the Turfgrass Information Center has begun! If its goal of $5 million is
reached, the TIC databases will be available free of charge to all, via the
internet. The USGA
has given the endowment a superb beginning by committing $1 million in the
form of a challenge grant over the next five years. If you wish to support the
endowment, contact Clifford H. Haka, Director of Libraries, at (517)355-2341,
or at Michigan State University
Library, 100 Library, East Lansing, Mich. 48824-1048.
Keywords: Turfgrass Information File; Turfgrass Information Center; O.J. Noer Memorial Turfgrass Collection; Databases; Information retrieval systems; Turfgrass Information
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INTRODUCTION |
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In the 1960s, the Michigan State University (MSU) Library began to collect printed turfgrass materials. In 1968, the personal collection of the late O.J. Noer, pioneer turf agronomist, was added to the library holdings through the O.J. Noer Foundation. Today, the combined collection is recognized as the most extensive public collection of turfgrass material in existence.
Between 1983 and 1992, the United States Golf Association (USGA) Turfgrass Research Program supported the development of the USGA Turfgrass Information File (TGIF). Using the Noer Collection as a foundation, TGIF was designed to systematically inventory published turf research and make the bibliographic information available via a computerized database.
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The TGIF database is now accessible online through the World Wide Web. With over 98,000 searchable items using over 300,000 keywords, these resources cover the full scope of the turfgrass industry. This database monitors over 300 journals and magazines, research reports, and conference proceedings. In addition, the database includes records for extension bulletins, book chapters, technical reports, theses, dissertations, and Web documents.
The Turfgrass Information Center, the administrative unit that was created to manage the TGIF, serves three primary functions:
Bibliographers collect materials on turf research, turf culture, and the management of turf facilities, such as golf courses, parks, sports fields, lawns, sod farms, roadsides, institutional grounds, and other landscapes.
Librarians enhance, expand, and refine the TGIF database to provide bibliographic access to the collection, as well as structured, precise access to the emerging resources of the World Wide Web. Scholars and professionals are able to access this system through the TIC website.
Staff assist users of the collection and databases to identify, locate, and acquire materials needed for research and management.
To find out more about the Turfgrass Information Center
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DISCUSSION |
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The campaign will provide the financial resources to ensure the ongoing operation of the Turfgrass Information Center. The continuation of the Center, and the Turfgrass Information Files that it produces, is critical for the following reasons:
The bottom line is that in an era of increasingly restricted chemical use and water availability, an ever-wider range of techniques and tools will be needed by managers to respond to user expectations. The TIC is the vehicle by which the information required to support research, education and management is made available for all of these efforts. Without your support, there is a risk that this established and essential resource could disappear. Support the campaign to endow the TIC and guarantee the continuation and expansion of the informational underpinning for the world of turf management.
The availability of the TIC Databases via the World Wide Web, beginning in 1997, has made it possible to access TIC resources online, around the clock and from around the world. Several different online search interfaces provide alternative ways to identify and retrieve relevant materials indexed in TGIF.
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Contributions to the campaign will fund an endowment. The annual interest generated by the principle, which will remain untouched, will be available to guarantee the ongoing operation of the Turfgarass Information Center, regardless of fluctuations in State and/or University support. In addition, these funds will provide for the following enhancements:
Additional Electronic Access to Full Text
Much of the information currently in the databases consists of abstracts or summaries of articles. Unless the item has been loaded onto the World Wide Web, users interested in reading the entire item typically need to request a copy from the MSU Libraries or some other provider. Funding from the endowment will support the addition of the entire article when publisher approval can be secured.
Expanded World-Wide Access to the Turfgrass Information Files
Currently, the online databases are available only on a paid subscription basis, except at the TIC facility. Funding of the endowment will allow open access to the files for all users at no charge. This will enable all researchers, students, and practitioners anywhere in the world to access these informational resources.
Added Coverage
Another objective is to expand the body of literature that is covered by the databases. Turf managers are increasingly required to engage in a wider range of land management issues, such as watershed and habitat management, land restoration and rehabilitation, water quality concerns, user safety issues, and environmental monitoring. Increased funding would be used to provide a fuller representation of publications, print and electronic, relating to these and other important turf-related issues.
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