Grassroots to grassfed: Libraries partner with local organizations to address the information needs of farming communities in upstate New York

A partnership formed between a special library and a public library system to address the information needs of local farmers is the subject of this paper. The special library partner is an information center for agricultural medicine and health. The public library system is one which serves its fourteen member libraries in central New York. These libraries, together with several community-based organizations, combined their leadership, resources, and expertise in a successful outreach effort that saved a village library, improved community relations, enhanced awareness of the role of libraries, and disseminated information necessary for sustaining a viable and healthy farming community.