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Reviews the initiative arising from the Follett Committee providing non‐formula funding to support specialised research collections in the humanities. The method of application for and distribution of the funds within a first phase are reviewed and the criteria adopted, although never stated, are considered. The effects on retrospective cataloguing are described and the work of the Archives Sub Committee is considered. The nature of funding of projects for the second phase is discussed and an initial assessment is provided of the overall benefits from the programme.

One of the most impressive aspects of the development of library automation has been the way that those involved at early stages had the vision to see possibilities far beyond the capacity of existing and planned technology. 1996 marks the 30th anniversary of some of the earliest major experiments in the libraries of the Universities of both Newcastle and Southampton. The pioneers of circulation systems — introducing batch mode, punched card‐based behemoths which almost certainly were less efficient than the manual systems they replaced — deserve credit, at least in retrospect, for their ability to see beyond immediate problems to a more promising future.

While the architect members of the Adam family have been subjected to considerable scrutiny over the years, architectural historians seem to have overlooked the information to be gleaned from the 1883 catalogue of the Blair Adam library, a copy of which is held in the National Library of Scotland. Of course a catalogue printed almost a hundred years after the death of the last of the architects in the family is hardly a totally reliable guide. Nevertheless, if used with care and in association with other surviving evidence, it can shed additional light on a number of aspects of Adam biography.

The main documents governing university library collection policies are surveyed and their effects on those policies assessed. The relationship between the transfers of departments and staff from one institution to another, and the transfer of related book stocks, is examined and the practical difficulties encountered are discussed.

A review of the 3rd International Conference on Interlending and Document Supply at the National Library of Hungary in Budapest from 29 March to 1 April, 1993, and of the concurrent UNESCO workshop on East‐West information transfer. Developments in networking will move interlending and document supply from their present peripheral position in library services to centre stage, although the charges are part of a long‐established and continuing process, rather than a dramatic departure from past practice. Outlines the reasons why electronic information will continue to become more competitive than traditionally published sources and discusses some of the consequences of change. In the process of change Eastern Europe is well placed to benefit from Western development and, already, shows signs of making more substantial progress. Makes suggestions for individual and institutional actions.

A visit to Bucharest in the wake of the recent Romanian revolution is described. The state of libraries and librarianship in Romania during the Ceausescu era are considered and the impact of the revolution on library buildings, stock and staff discussed. The present and future situations of libraries, librarians and librarianship in Romania are examined and the need for foreign aid, especially the support of Unesco, from western countries is urged.

As Nicholas Barker has pointed out, concern with the problem of deteriorating books has a long history. In 1898 the Prefect of the Vatican Library convened an international conference in St Gall to consider the decay of paper, in particular the new cheaper papers produced from wood pulp. Thereafter a number of libraries established conservation laboratories and the Bodleian monitored tests of the efficacy of different methods of treating paper. An even earlier concern for conservation is noted by Alex Wilson. In the Abbey of Admont the librarian's task was laid down in 1370 as

Reviews the development of the catalogue in the light of changing needs and changing technology. Current development of the interactive catalogue coincides with an increased need to test user reaction to library services in the academic sector because of the growing emphasis on quality assessment. The coincidence has been exploited at the Universities of Hull and Newcastle, using Geac online catalogues to survey library users electronically. Describes the two experiments and analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the approach.

Examines the role of the external assessor in the review of academic libraries. Considers the various types of library review and, within them, the differing roles of the assessor. Discusses the training preparation needs, documentary requirements of, and benefits to external reviewers. In conclusion, proposes that, as the external reviewer can have an important influence in library reviews, there should be suitable training and an agreed code of conduct.

We have conducted a study of academic faculty use of databases for research, their need for evaluative guides to databases, and the appropriateness of currently‐available guides. Although the response rate was low (19%), the follow‐up survey suggested only a minimal non‐response bias. Our findings suggest that academic faculty are typically unaware of the range of databases available and few recognize the need for databases in research. Of those faculty who do use databases, most delegate the searching to a librarian or an assistant, rather than performing the searches themselves. We identified thirty‐nine database guides; these tend to be descriptive rather than evaluative.