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Mary Overton, then based at Southampton University Library, was the creator and first editor of VINE, and she carefully nurtured it through issues 1 to 7. On leaving Southampton she escaped to the Welsh hillside where she runs a farm. However, if she thought she had seen the last of VINE on leaving the Information Officer post, she was wrong — several years later she was asked to step in and carry VINE through issues 35 to 38 while a new editor was recruited. In this piece Mary looks back at how VINE came into being.

The work of the OSTI‐supported library housekeeping automation projects at the British National Bibliography, the University Libraries of Loughborough, Southampton, Oxford, Surrey, Lancaster, and Bath, and in the Birmingham Libraries' Cooperative Mechanisation Project and the South West University Libraries Systems Cooperative Project is described, and the state of progress of each as at Summer 1973 is indicated.

VINE is produced at least four times a year with the object of providing up‐to‐date news of work being done in the automation of library housekeeping processes, principally in the UK. It is edited and substantially written by Tony McSean, Information Officer for Library Automation based in Southampton University Library and supported by a grant from the British Library Research and Development Department. Copyright for VINE articles rests with the British Library Board, but opinions expressed in VINE do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the British Library. The subscription to VINE is £10 per year and the subscription period runs from January to December.

As librarians consider adopting an automated circulation system, early tasks will be to 1) scan the literature, and 2) contact librarians who have already been involved in the process. The literature itself repeatedly urges the value of communicating with other libraries and librarians. For this purpose, most books on turnkey systems append a list of the systems and their installations in particular libraries.

The method of doing retrospective conversion by means of optical scanning and computer formatting is discussed. An historical survey of research in such applications is given as background. Applications, named OSCID, are considered as important for making low priced machine‐readable data representing older material. OSCID applications could be of special interest for information systems within humanities.

AERONAUTICS owes much to the selfless devotion and enthusiasm of its early pioneers. As was noted by the author in the Fourth Lanchester Memorial Lecture,1 Queen Mary College can claim to have the oldest established University Department of Aeronautical Engineering in the country due to the pioneer work of Dr A. P. Thurston, a graduate of the College, t It was in 1908 that he decided to establish an Aeronautical Laboratory there. He inspired the interest and support of like‐minded friends and Mr P. Y. Alexander, in particular, contributed a major part of the funds required to equip the laboratory. From Professor J. L. S. Hatton, the then Principal of the College, Dr Thurston received warm encouragement and the space for the venture, but College funds were then less than adequate for its longer established activities, and so the College could not afford to offer financial support to the new venture in its early days.

Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).

THE Reference Department of Paisley Central Library today occupies the room which was the original Public Library built in 1870 and opened to the public in April 1871. Since that date two extensions to the building have taken place. The first, in 1882, provided a separate room for both Reference and Lending libraries; the second, opened in 1938, provided a new Children's Department. Together with the original cost of the building, these extensions were entirely financed by Sir Peter Coats, James Coats of Auchendrane and Daniel Coats respectively. The people of Paisley indeed owe much to this one family, whose generosity was great. They not only provided the capital required but continued to donate many useful and often extremely valuable works of reference over the many years that followed. In 1975 Paisley Library was incorporated in the new Renfrew District library service.

It has often been said that a great part of the strength of Aslib lies in the fact that it brings together those whose experience has been gained in many widely differing fields but who have a common interest in the means by which information may be collected and disseminated to the greatest advantage. Lists of its members have, therefore, a more than ordinary value since they present, in miniature, a cross‐section of institutions and individuals who share this special interest.

VINE is produced at least four times a year with the object of providing up‐to‐date news of work being done in the automation of library housekeeping processes, principally in the UK. It is edited and substantially written by The Information Officer for Library Automation based in Southampton University Library and supported by a grant from the British Library Research and Development Department. Copyright for VINE articles rests with the British Library Board, but opinions expressed in VINE do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the British Library. The subscription for 1983 for VINE is £22 for UK subscribers and £25 for overseas subscribers. The first copy will be charged at normal rate, but all others will be supplied for only £12 per year UK and £14 per year overseas. VINE is available in either paper copy or microfiche and all back issues are available on microfiche.