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What does the Rural Information Center do?

The Rural Information Center (RIC) provides information and referral services to local, tribal, state, and federal government officials; community organizations; rural electric and telephone cooperatives; libraries; businesses; and, citizens working to maintain the vitality of America's rural areas.

The RIC Website contains over 3,000 links to current and reliable information on a wide variety of rural resources and funding sources, including RIC's Database, Federal Funding Sources for Rural Areas Database

The Rural Information Center Assists Local Communities or pdf

RIC Services

Information and Referral (I & R) Services. RIC staff will:

• Provide customized information products to specific inquiries including assistance in economic revitalization issues; local government planning projects; funding sources; technical assistance programs; research studies; and other related issues.
  
  
• Process a broad array of general and funding information requests on such topics as:
  
  
  • Successful strategies, models, and case studies of community development projects
  • Small business attraction, retention, and expansion
  • Housing programs and services
  • Tourism promotion and development
  • Recycling programs
  • Community water quality
  • Technology transfer to rural areas
  
  
• Refer users to organizations or experts in the field who can provide additional information.
  
  
• Perform brief literature searches on computerized databases of requested topics on a complimentary basis or exhaustive searches on a cost recovery basis.
  
  
• Identify current USDA research.
  
  
• Assist users in accessing NAL's extensive collection.
  
  
• Prepare in-depth rural FAQs, Publications, and the Rural Calendar for the RIC Website

Document Delivery

If you need to obtain a copy of an article, a microfilm, or a book, document delivery services are available at NAL. The variety of document delivery services at NAL include:

• Interlibrary loans through institutional or public libraries.
• Photocopies of journal articles from AGRICOLA citations as well as from other databases if cited journals or reports are in NAL's collection. There is a cost recovery fee for photocopying.
• Reproduction of microfilms for a cost recovery fee.

About NAL

• One of four national libraries in the United States.
• Foremost agricultural library in the world.
• Repository for books, journals, maps, microfilms, films, videocassettes, filmstrips, slides, and microcomputer software acquired via purchase, gifts, and exchange.
• Coordinator and primary resource for a national network of State land-grant universities and USDA field libraries working together to deliver information to those with an interest in rural development and related topics.
• Producer of AGRICOLA computerized database, which is an index to books and articles relating to all aspects of agriculture, rural information, and other related topics.

Using RIC

Ask RIC a Question, Call Our Toll-Free Number 1-800-633-7701 (8:30 AM-4:30 PM, Eastern Time, Monday through Friday), Or Contact Our Center at the Mail or Email Addresses Below:

NAL TTY
1-301-504-6856

NAL Document Delivery Service Information
1-301-504-6503
access@nal.usda.gov