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When the initial library networks were established in the United States, they provided affordable, online automation services that were available from virtually no other source. The surge of automation experienced by American libraries for the past two decades has altered the historical relationships that characterize library cooperation. Local networks are being created and machine‐readable products previously available only from the networks are now being packaged on optical media and distributed to individual institutions. With these technological advances, the need for, services offered by, and financial viability of the networks have begun to undergo dramatic change. This is also a time of great opportunity for libraries and networks. There is on the horizon what may be the infrastructure for a national information network. The realization of this network will require close cooperation of librarians, who have embraced the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model for networking, and members of the academic and research community, which is still relying heavily on the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocols (TCP/IP) for communications purposes.

Outlines the lead up to the establishment of the Network Development Office to ensure that the Library of Congress participated in national network planning. The work was vested in the Network Advisory Group set up in 1977 and later renamed the Network Advisory Committee. From this evolved a task force to be called the Network Technical Architecture Group (NTAG). The accomplishments of NTAG are described, and relate to computer links, protocol for such links, and national networks for sharing bibliographic and other data. Future considerations are also outlined.

A survey of some means—mostly photographic or mechanised—of converting a large card catalogue to book form. Details are those calculated for the Main Library catalogues at Birmingham University.

This paper presents a historical overview of technological developments and their use in libraries and argues that librarians have always been amongst the first to adapt to, and use, the latest information handling and communications technologies. Points made are supported by many citations to the relevant literature of the time.

Surveys the evolution and development of MARC formats for the digital encoding of bibliographic data from their beginnings in 1968 at the Library of Congress to the present time, with particular emphasis on the development of 17 national formats. Examines the reasons for the divergence of MARC formats from each other as well as the early and recent trends in the development of national MARC formats.

The advent of the computer in the academic library promises revolution in library objectives and economics, and the extent of the revolution will be as great in acquisitions as in other library areas. This paper will examine the probable effects of computerization in the foreseeable and distant futures and will establish academic and economic targets at which to aim to avoid an inefficient wandering forward. The first section of the paper will inquire into the characteristics of the new technology; the second will delineate academic objectives and new techniques for reaching those objectives; and the third will discuss the economic goals of acquisitions computerization.

INTRODUCTION Computers and new information technologies have beyond question brought tremendous advancement in information storage and retrieval. In recent years, the traditional card catalog has given way first to the COM (computer output on microform) catalog, then to the online catalog. Now, many libraries are shifting to the new capability in order to provide better and faster services to their patrons.