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The Arthur Edwards Building was opened on the 30 October 1982 by the Rt. Hon. Harold Wilson, KG, OBE, FRS, MP in the presence of local and civic dignatories. The occasion was something of a reunion in that Gerry Fowler, Director of the Polytechnic, served as a Minister of State under Sir Harold; and the brother of Lady Mary Wilson was formerly on the staff of West Ham College, which was a constituent college of NELP.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the usefulness of the concept to thinking about Research Data Management (RDM). The concept of “wicked problems” seeks to differentiate very complex, intractable challenges from tamer issues where approaches to problem solving are well-understood.

The paper is based on and co-authored by a collaboration of practitioners from libraries, information technology and research administration, with facilitators from the Sheffield Information School. Participants worked together in two-day-long workshops to understand the wicked problem concept and advice on leadership in wicked problem contexts.

Participants concurred that RDM had many features of a wicked problem and most of Grint’s advice on leadership for wicked problems also resonated. Some elements of the issue were simple; participants were optimistic about improving the situation over time. Participants were resistant to the more negative or fatalistic connotations of the phrase “wicked problem”. Viewing RDM as a wicked problem is an interesting way of looking at it as a challenge for support professionals.

The notion of a wicked problem is a generative concept that can be usefully added to professional vocabulary.

The paper captures an in-depth response from practitioners to the notion of wicked problems as a lens for examining RDM.

Pamela Graddon recently left BLRDD, having been promoted to head of the Industrial Property Section in the British Library's Science Reference and Information Service (SRIS). Her responsibilities in BLRDD for information technology are now being dealt with by Derek Greenwood who previously workedin the SRIS. Dr Elizabeth Dron, who joined BLRDD earlier this year, has left the British Library on promotion to take up a post in the Department of Environment.

In preparing this report, the compliance sub‐group has set out to (a) summarise the current compliance regime as a matter of law and practice, (b) identify particular problem areas within that regime concerning public sector officials (PSOs), and (c) suggest recommendations for change. The result may be seen as providing features of a ‘model’ compliance structure designed to cause difficulties for corrupt PSOs seeking to launder the proceeds of their corruption; UK law and practice has formed the springboard for the model, but it should be stressed that in order to be of any utility any suggested changes would have to be adopted (effectively) universally throughout the financial world. Piecemeal adoption by one or a few states would merely be likely to drive the tainted monies elsewhere, and would not serve the desired purpose of reducing the extent/profitability of corruption.

IT was last July that we denounced the Bullock proposals because of our conviction that they would not work. True, that was not by any means the first time that we had voiced that opinion. We said so, firmly, from the moment that they were promulgated. There was so much against them.

YOU WILL HAVE seen, no doubt, recent announcements that my wife and I have sold our book‐publishing business of Clive Bingley Ltd to the Munich‐based firm of international reference publishers, Verlag Dokumentation.

And for this relief give much thanks. A certain buildup of copy requires me to be brief.

The literature of the information needs and uses of humanities scholars in universities is reviewed, using, in the main, material published from 1970 onwards. The areas covered include definitions of humanities, the way humanities scholars work and the materials of their research; secondary services; computers and new technology; the role of libraries and library services and comparisons between humanities and other disciplines. The review ends with a brief assessment of the state of the art; an outline of some unanswered questions and some consideration of the future of humanities. The main conclusions drawn are that the literature is piecemeal, at times confusing, and that progress in providing guidelines to librarians on the basis of systematic enquiry is slow.

What is Electronic Publishing? Electronic Publishing (EP) is the application of communications technology to distribute information. In the context of libraries, it typically means large, often textual databases, stored on powerful computers, from which information is selectively retrieved using terminals linked to the computers via the telephone system.

As a follow up to the bespectacled and jolly photo of myself (NLW, June 86) along with accompanying cheery sentences about how easy it is to be a book reviewer. I thought I would pen a few timely phrases on how to go about reviewing for NLW.