A number of information programs have been developed over the years to support
worldwide agricultural research and extension. This paper discusses two of these
programs, AGLINET and AGORA in the context of recent global library, information
and communications technologies, best practices and future trends. Specifically,
the programs are discussed in the context of the Millennium Development
Goals, the Alexandria High Level Colloquium on Information Literacy and Lifelong
Learning, the Alexandria Manifesto and the outcome of the World Summit on the
Information Society. The advantages and disadvantages and future potential of
these and similar programs and the need for complementary programs in
development are discussed in the context of the present and future challenges
for agricultural libraries and some future directions are proposed.
