Meet the AGROVOC editorial community

Engineer Zuzana Horváthová, Information Officer at the Centre of Information Services and Technologies (CISaT) at Agroinštitút Nitra, is part of the AGROVOC editorial community as an editor of Slovak.

How did you start your experience in AGROVOC and how are you engaging with it?

My first experience with AGROVOC began in 1997 when I changed jobs from the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra to the Slovak AGRIS Centre at the Institute of Scientific Information for Agriculture in Nitra (later integrated into the Agroinštitút Nitra). 

I started working on indexing records for the AGRIS and Current Agricultural Research Information System (CARIS) databases where the AGROVOC descriptors were used.  After the decision to translate terms and concepts present in AGROVOC into Slovak, I became part of the team that participated in this process. While the team comprised employees of the Slovak AGRIS Centre, professional consultants from Slovak universities, research institutes and specialized organizations were also contacted and became part of the structure working on AGROVOC.

What has been the most important achievement of being part of the editorial community?

This was probably when the Agroinštitút Nitra persuaded the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic to support the efforts to translate terms and concepts present in AGROVOC into Slovak. Another important achievement was the creation of a network of consultants who were experts in terminology. 

Some of the consultants hired by the Head of the Slovak AGRIS Centre came from two Nitra universities (Constantine the Philosopher University and the Slovak Agricultural University), while others were employed individually, depending on the type of translated terms. In 2004 and 2005, about 18 000 terms were translated into Slovak.

How does your work in AGROVOC benefit your organization?

AGROVOC provides more visibility to the Agroinštitút Nitra among the network of libraries participating as AGRIS contributing centres (academic and special libraries established at universities, research centres and scientific institutes) and within the Slovak terminological network.

AGROVOC is updated by our editors and our team on a daily basis. What was your last contribution to AGROVOC as editor?

The last term I worked on was poverty alleviation. The translation was done using, as usual, all the available reliable knowledge resources, including electronic dictionaries, internet sources, and the collection of paper dictionaries from our library. In case of doubt, the term is always discussed with an expert from the relevant scientific field, but in this particular case it was not necessary.

Do you have a favorite term in AGROVOC?

It's hard to say, but it is probably the one we're dealing with right now: “Rosa damascena” (the scientific name of a type of rose).

About Agroinštitút Nitra  

Agroinštitút Nitra is a state enterprise and an educational institution of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic. It provides a broad portfolio of services, mainly in the area of continuing vocational  education, training and certification of agricultural advisors. It compiles specialized library collections, and ensures effective access to information and information resources through information services and information technology. The portfolio of services is completed by hotel and conference services.  The institute manages two unique departments - the AGRIS National Center and the FAO Depository Library. Its outputs target the national and international agricultural community, the scientific research base, academic institutions, professional unions and associations, consultants, and students. Agroinštitút Nitra connects the agriculture sector to the national and international context through information services and technology, especially via the creation, operation and updating of websites for sectoral and specialized state administration.