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Many library and information workers — the majority, even — use technology in some way or other. Only a relatively small number, however, have come to regard IT management or library systems administration as a full‐time specialism. The terms used to designate these posts are many and varied, but perhaps the job title which has gained the widest usage is ‘systems librarian’. Chan (1987) defines systems librarians as ‘the people responsible for managing computerised library systems.’ However, it is possible to differentiate between staff for whom this is the principal responsibility and those who carry out the function of systems management as one task among many, and whose main duties are elsewhere. In practice there is often no clear dividing line, but for the purposes of this article the former category only will be considered to be systems librarians. The latter group, in so far as they are discussed at all, will be referred to as ‘system administrators’ or ‘system managers’.

Speak to anyone who has been involved in library automation in the UK and it's a pretty safe bet that they are familiar with VINE and have probably contributed to it in some shape or form over the years. Produced for librarians by librarians, it has always aimed to be practical, topical, and objective in approach whilst inevitably reflecting the individual style of each of its successive editors (see the roll‐call at the end of this article). Its sometimes erratic publishing schedule may be legendary, but the commitment to four issues a year has been met, with the occasional bonus one or two in the early days. It is a unique and somewhat idiosyncratic journal which forms a recognised part of library automation publishing: as reported in the editorial of VINE 95, a survey carried out by Graeme Muirhead(1) found VINE to be the most popular journal read by systems librarians.

The Librarians of Glasgow University since 1641 are identified, and their periods of office summarised and assessed as far as information allows. The terms of appointment in early years and pattern of town and university alternating nominations are outlined, and the gradual development of the post into that of a professional librarian in the twentieth century is illustrated.

Project ACORN (Access to Course Readings via Networks) sits within the Electronic Short Loan strand of the Electronic Libraries (eLib) Programme and has been developed by a team at the Pilkington Library at Loughborough University. Having established procedures for making journal articles in short loan collections available electronically, the next stage was to test the portability of these procedures to Leicester University. This paper describes a study undertaken by the Project ACORN team to investigate the portability of the technical model by implementing it at Leicester University, and discusses the main challenges faced (authentication and printing), the solutions proposed by the ACORN team, some possible future solutions, and recommendations for libraries looking to set up an ACORN‐type service.