2. Significance of the Materials


early 20th century books and journals--now seriously embrittled and deteriorating--are in great demand
as we begin yet another transformation of agriculture. This time the transformation is along ecological
and environmental lines rather than economic and technological, a process that is beginning even as we
continue to reflect on and learn from our rural past.

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Even as agriculture evolved from a home and family craft-based way of life to the market-driven business
enterprise that we know today, urban and suburban residents have held onto the images of an agrarian
past, as depicted in art from New York such as Currier and Ives prints and Grandma Moses paintings, and
more recently in the remarkable popularity of home and community gardening. The history of this
deeply rooted American myth celebrating the pioneer, the self-sufficient farm family, the rural
community, and the spirit of the individualistic American, are preserved in the literature of agriculture
and rural life. These materials will eventually contribute to further discovery and interpretation in
weaving the colorful history of our nation and in understanding our national character.

One fundamental component of this rich record of American agriculture and rural life is state and local
level publications of each of the fifty states. Section 6 of this proposal contains descriptions from each of
the ten project participants of their agricultural literature and an overview of the historical trends and
issues it documents. Due to its critical importance to the study of state, regional, and national history,
this state and local level record is among the highest preservation priorities of land grant institutions of
the U.S.

To guide a nationally coordinated effort to preserve the record of agriculture, the United States
Agricultural Information Network has developed a National Preservation Program for Agricultural
Literature. This cooperative project to continue the preservation of the agriculture and rural life literature
of the states is proposed to advance one key component of a larger national plan.