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Two recent international standards, the Search and Retrieve Protocol (ISO 29350) and the Interlibrary Loan Protocol (ISO 10160/1), and a recommendation for standardisation of electronic document delivery will have a great impact in the area of inter‐library loan and document delivery. In combination, the three standards will allow end‐users to search for items, find a location for the item, order it, and receive the item electronically, without the intervention of an intermediary. This paper gives a brief overview of the history and development of the three standards. The two protocols and the important role played by two implementation groups, the ZIG and the IPIG, are discussed. The electronic delivery recommendation was developed by an international group in the early 1990s and has recently been submitted as an international standard. The paper concludes with a description of one major project (UNIverse) that is looking at the integration of all aspects of searching and delivery using these standards.

Discusses why interlibrary loan (ILL) has not been the subject of substantial automation and briefly discusses the current state of ILL automation in the UK. Suggests that the Library and Information Co‐operation Council (LINC) is uniquely placed to monitor developments. Recommends further action for LINC including its role in collection and dissemination of information and influencing developments in ILL automation.

Document delivery is in the process of undergoing many changes from a manual to an electronic system. Two main reasons for this change are presented — the financial pressures on library acquisition budgets and the recent advances in enabling technology. A history of some of the trials carried out by the British Library Document Supply Centre (BLDSC) is given and current plans for services are described. The role of standards and possible barriers to the implementation of new technology systems are briefly discussed.

Digital rights management (DRM) has had a chequered history. It has been called “the saviour of intellectual property rights” and “completely useless” in protecting digital content. The truth probably lies somewhere in between. The paper describes the use of DRM in providing a secure document supply service, the reasons for implementation of a DRM system by the British Library, the system adopted, with reasons for the rejection of some systems and insight into how the chosen system has been received by users.

Concentrates on the results of the European Commission funded Electronic Document Interchange between Libraries (EDIL) project. Includes details of the work of the Group on Electronic Interchange (GEDI) on which the project is based, together with a brief description of the partners in the project. The results of the project are that, although the technological solution worked well, there were several outstanding operational and market issues that require resolution before such a system can be used commercially. It will also be necessary to resolve the copyright issues surrounding electronic document delivery.

Over the last ten years the number and proportion of requests being satisfied by photocopying at the British Library Lending Division has increased greatly. There are two main methods, using Rank Xerox 1000 machines and Rank Xerox Copyflo machines respectively. The main disadvantage of both methods is the poor reproduction of half‐tones and to overcome this problem a Mitsubishi U‐bix II machine is also used. Duplicate microforms are normally made by the diazo method which is cheaper than the traditional silver halide method and which also results in a product which is more resistant to water and to scratching. The Lending Division also prefers microfiche to roll film because of the ease of duplication of the former. A hard copy enlargement service is also available from the Division but the demand is fairly small. The library also has a small offset litho unit. The proportion of material received in microform is increasing slowly, however there has been a steady change from roll microfilm to microfiche. Developments in automatic input of hard copy text into a computer may change existing publishing patterns but the economics of present methods make dramatic changes unlikely in the near future.

Surveys efforts towards co‐operation in interlending within countries including Hungary, Italy, Nigeria, Ghana, Germany and Latvia. Discusses barriers to European interlending and a formula for the size of the European interlending market is given. Interlending protocol and advances in facsimile transmission are described. A methodology of estimating interlending costs, DOCMATCH II, is introduced.

Chadwyck‐Healey Ltd, Cambridge Place, Cambridge CB2 1NR proudly announces, in a six‐page brochure, its intention to issue the whole of the final London edition of The Guardian newspaper for 1990 in February 1991 on a CD‐ROM disk. Subsequently, disks will be issued quarterly within eight weeks after the end of each quarter, cumulating to the year end. All articles and editorial text will be on the disks but advertisements, sports statistics, racing results (other than in articles) and statistics, Stock Exchange prices, radio television and entertainment listings, are excluded as is some copyrighted material. However the complete front pages, including pictures and graphics will be on the disk and may be displayed in facsimile. Searching is available in novice or expert modes and, as is now usual, Boolean operators, right‐hand truncation, wildcard characters, adjacency and proximity facilities and range searching of numbers and dates may be used.

Reviews more than 100 journals and some electronic lists and newsletters for issues and matters relevant to interlending and document supply. In particular, in this review, site licences, distance learning, providers of document supply, pricing, copyright, publishers, usage and open access are examined.

Discusses the role of the Library and Information Co‐operation Council (LINC), which aims to promote co‐operation as a means of improving UK library and information sector effectiveness. Examines its action plan for interlending covering automation applications, the Provincial Joint Fiction Reserve, statistics gathering review, performance indicators, and provision for ethnic minorities. Surmises that efficient co‐operation depends on information, commitment, and monitoring.