Evaluating an Agricultural Data Base in Brazil

Abstract

The National Centre for Agricultural Documentary Information (Centro Nacional de Informação Documental Agrícola: CENAGRI) in Brazil has a legal responsibility to collect, analyse, store and disseminate the national agricultural literature, which is recorded in the national agricultural data base, AGROBASE. The coverage of the national literature by AGROBASE was evaluated in terms of the number of documents included, in relation to the total number produced, during the period 1982-1985. Three indexes of coverage were established in respect of coverage by type of document (monographic and serial publications) and by subject. The indexes by type of document indicate that AGROBASE includes 29 percent of monograph titles, a maximum of 52 percent of periodical titles and 64 percent of periodical articles. The index of subject coverage was based on a comparison of coverage of the literature on six subjects by AGROBASE and selected specialized printed bibliographies. This index indicates that the coverage of AGROBASE is more extensive than that of the printed bibliographies. Despite its weaknesses, AGROBASE constitutes one of the most important instruments for obtaining access to the national agricultural literature.