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ONCE UPON a time there was no need to question the purpose of a good library; it was there as a ‘repository of human knowledge’ and both users and librarians were satisfied with this description and used it to evaluate libraries accordingly.

A NOTABLE FEATURE of the changes which have occurred in librarianship in recent years is a reassertion of the importance of the individual. Within the organisational context, classical management theories, MbO and the like, which have been overly preoccupied with systems and processes, have given way to the Human Relations School, theories of social interaction and group dynamics, and participative styles of management. Similarly the trend towards subject specialisation, user education and information officers has made the individual user a growing focus of attention. These changes are reflected in the literature by an increasing number of articles advocating that training for librarianship should step beyond the subjects traditionally associated with professional education and embrace a wider range of interdisciplinary subjects more appropriate for the study of communications. Communication is, after all, the central concern of the library. The interaction between readers, information and librarians represents a social system where the behaviour, perceptions and values of the people involved are of crucial importance in many areas of library research. It would seem that librarians are beginning to realise that knowledge about libraries is fundamentally social.

‘To MEET the threat, and to realize the potential, we do not need a doctrine of salvation. We have the weapons we need, our minds. Reasoned analysis, imaginative designing and an experimental approach to action form a rational, or at any rate reasonable, triptych which has always served men well. This is the method of liberty; its substance is defined by the new conditions in which we live today. The new liberty means that we have to change our attitudes in order to pass through the turbulence ahead in a manner which enhances human life‐chances. This is what I mean when I say that the subject of history is changing; and the change in approach is reflected in the words which we use—new words; improvement instead of expansion, good husbandry instead of affluence, human activity instead of work, and of course one word which is quite old, liberty.’—Ralf Dahrendorf (‘The new liberty’, 1975 Reith Lectures)

THE SIX YEARS since the reorganisation of local government in Northern Ireland have seen a massive development of services in the public library field, with progress on almost all fronts simultaneously. Five Education and Library Boards were created under legislation which gave certain advantages to the library service, not least of which was the close link with education, and including a statutory library committee and a designated post of chief librarian. Another helpful feature is the close similarity of population, which ranges from 230,000 in the Western Board to 360,000 in Belfast.

IT WAS DIFFICULT to believe the tidings that have only just reached me, the news that Stanley Snaith died in Dorset on December 19 last, a few days after his 73rd birthday. The rising generation of librarians may say ‘Who was Stanley Snaith?’, so all the more reason for this tribute.

ADVERSE WEATHER conditions greatly reduced the number of members attending the February Council especially those resident in parts east. Everyone who had made it seemed to take a while to warm to their task and passed the report of the Executive Co‐ordinating Committee like lambs. With mild interest they heard that the Secretary had recommended to the General Purposes Committee that the old Council Chamber should not after all, be divided into offices but instead be made into a joint members' and staff common room. ‘More modest extensions to the toilet accommodation’ (the imagination boggles!) are part of this reduced package which saves half the projected £40,000. For council meetings a platform with furniture suitable to the dignity of the association will be provided.

CHANGE, whether we like it or not, is a major element in twentieth century life. Every organisation is likely to be forced into radical change, and a failure to respond adequately to this demand, whether it comes from within the organisation or from outside, is likely to lead to a loss of effectiveness; the organisation will then either fossilise as an obsolete structure, functioning in a barely relevant way, or it will disintegrate completely. In library terms such demands for change might be exemplified by the increasing strictures on local budgets by central government, by technological developments, particularly on‐line computer systems, and by the changing needs and aspirations of contemporary society.

THE Department of Library Science at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria was founded in 1968. Its foundation is regarded as an offspring of the Sharr report of 1963. The department was formerly known as the Department of Librarianship until the 1971/72 session when the name was changed to the present one. Its objective is the training of professional librarians at all levels.

SATURDAY MORNING. The morning after the night before. The night before was the 5.30 to 9.00 shift. Time to have a quick perusal of the professional literature to see what our elders and betters have been writing. Time to read Alan Day's ‘Comment’ (NLW October) before the first of the punters arrive in search of information, with the light of science in their eyes.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS subject headings are relatively unusual in this country and they do provide for some relatively unusual headings. ‘Ground effect machines’ and ‘one‐leg resting positions’ are just two examples. ‘Ground effect machines’ refers to such things as hovercraft. ‘One‐leg resting position’ however could cover books on anthropology or art. ‘Negative income‐tax’ sounds like something we would all like to receive but it's not exactly the first term which springs to mind to describe income benefit schemes. However, despite these oddities, our subject catalogue seems to be fairy well used and our new guide cards make it even easier to use.