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THIS SURVEY was undertaken by the authors as private research because of the apparent lack of awareness in the profession about employment conditions. It was not paid for or sponsored by any organisation.

THERE IS a very old opening, usually to bad jokes, which goes something like: ‘What do you want first, the good news or the bad news … ?’ Sad to say, this format has appeared in the latest circular from the Local Government Staff Commissioners for England (LGSC 19/74). In many ways it is a pity it is not a joke.

The dynamic evolution and new direction of nonprint media in the information professions continually change the emphasis and character of activities, services and equipment. It is essential for libraries and other information agencies to keep abreast with the latest developments in the field.

IT IS A FACT of life that people enjoy forming groups and associations of their like‐minded fellows, and a further fact that most groups fragment themselves from larger groups in order to pursue progressively more specialised common interests.

I WAS perturbed by a ‘kite’ flown in a national newspaper recently that in its search for economies in public expenditure, the new Conservative government might wield its axe on the British Library's proposed erection in the Euston Road. The current cost of the new building is informally judged to have climbed to a total of £300m, but as this expenditure is to be deployed over a decade and more, abandonment is hardly likely to make serious inroads into government expenditure curently running at more than £50,000m annually.

This conference session is to be devoted to the value of information as seen by the customer, but ironically all of the session's speakers are in fact intermediaries in the information transfer process. We cannot therefore speak from first hand experience, but what we can do is to talk about our experience based on the systematic analysis of customer contacts.

FROM conversations it is clear that many of us are not familiar with the sources of help to which we can turn for salary advice.

Accountancy glossary Differences in technical jargon almost invariably occur on the two sides of the Atlantic—and accountancy is no exception to the rule.

The role of information within management is in a state of dramatic transformation. Managers must grasp and act on the implications of this change if they are to maintain their competitive position both corporately and as individuals. Information technology continues to develop at an exponential rate. But it is only an extension of what has gone before, and should be understood and used in this light. Vastly more information relevant to managers is now accessible than ever before, particularly through the use of electronic databases and networks. A selective listing of major business information databases is provided. Individual managers, whatever their function, must learn to take full advantage of the information resources available to them, and do so continuously as part of their management techniques. Organisations must develop an information strategy and corporate structure which ensures the fullest use of internal and external resources. The position of the librarian within this overall task remains well‐placed, although his relevance and role remain very much a question for his own initiative.

User poll picks ‘best’ business databases In an effort to determine which of more than fifty business‐oriented online databases yielded the ‘best’ information, Washington Researchers Ltd., polled hundreds of participants in its Researching Company Information Seminars held throughout the country over the past year.