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The Dawson Group, with its large and varied customer base and over 500,000 periodical subscriptions, entered the automation sector in 1972 with a Singer System, which allowed a large number of simultaneous operations to be carried out on one database through multiple visual display units (VDUs). The system brought greater efficiency to in‐house subscription control with accruing benefits for libraries. By the 1980s a replacement system was needed to increase efficiency and meet the expansion of business. In 1981 an IBM System 38 was installed. The system performs well and currently supports over sixty VDUs and eight printers in three different locations — London, FolkeStone and Godalming. The success of the in‐house system led to the offering of a customer online service, linked to the main computer centre in FolkeStone, and offered on a ‘pay‐as‐you‐go’ basis.

Three years ago, John Cowley, on behalf of Dawson's, agreed to provide funding for an annual one‐day research seminar to be held in the Department of Library and Information Studies at Loughborough University. When, in 1989, we began to plan for the third seminar in the series, I suggested we should devote it to workstations. It seemed timely, since they were becoming increasingly a topic of discussion within the information profession. It was, however, immediately pointed out to me by my better‐informed colleagues that ‘workstation’ was a very ill‐defined term. It would really be necessary to specify more precisely what ‘workstation’ meant in this context. For this reason, the seminar, held on 26 June 1990, was Finally entitled, ‘Integrated software workstations in library and information work’. Even given this limitation, the papers presented in this issue demonstrate just how wide a range of activities can be brought under the ‘workstation’ umbrella.

This book by Rod Cowley — ALS: A Guide for Librarians and System Managers — plunges me into some perplexity. For what is the object of this series of which we seem to have here the first volume? According to the back cover, it is to help librarians or system managers — a frightful term. I do hope that the “managers” are also librarians and not upper echelon bureaucrats with their eyes firmly fixed on the statistics produced by computers. However, the book seeks to help them choose an automated system by examining the different products now available. A good move, for librarians wishing to automate their systems often have great difficulty in making a choice in the face of commercial‐cum‐technical engineers well versed in the techniques of salesmanship. Often there is a risky choice — that of one system rather than another based on hazardous rule of thumb and word of mouth. This indicates the potential value of a series which should enable us to form an opinion of different systems by an analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. Rod Cowley is a former assistant librarian at Bromley Public Library which has an ALS system and former Secretary of the ALS Users Group. Today, he is UK Sales Manager of Automated Library Systems Ltd.

“Corporate planning” is the term which, perhaps more than any other, epitomises the adoption of business management techniques by the public sector. In Britain, with massive local government reorganisation in 1974, many librarians were forced to come to terms with such techniques whether they liked it or not. Of course, in its purest sense corporate planning applies to the combined operation of an entire organisation be it local authority, university, government department or industrial firm. However, in this paper I do not intend discussing “the grand design” whereby the library is merely a component part of a greater body. Rather, it is my intention to view the library as the corporate body. It is a perfectly possible and very useful exercise to apply the principles of corporate planning, and the management techniques involved, to the running of a library or group of libraries. Indeed, many librarians have already done this either independently or as their part in the corporate plan of their parent organisation.

The former colleague at University College of Raymond Irwin (1902–1976) and his obituarist here presents a fuller portrait of this unusual man.

We therefore recommend that the Association…actively seeks to recruit in membership people in the following categories: Service Managers: those responsible for managing library or information services…advice services, documentation centres, data bases and co‐ordinators of multi‐disciplinary directorates such as leisure services. Technical and Specialist Staff: including bibliographers, cataloguers, stock editors and personnel and training staff, educational technologists, computer specialists, etc., working in a library and information service context. Direct Contact Staff: Those in regular contact with their users, including…teacher‐librarians tutor‐librarians, archivists, information consultants, advice centre staff…(LA Futures Report, October 1985, para 34).

ATKINSON was mainly about space. However, certain very important general principles emerge in the report, firstly that the allocation of limited resources among universities cannot be decided without “making assumptions about the role and operation of libraries”. The report was not concerned with these assumptions, although it noted, secondly, that in deciding how much space should be allocated for readers, much depended “on local circumstances and teaching patterns”.

In July, 1989, permission was given by the Department of Education and Science (DES) for the merger on 1 April, 1990, of Harrow College of Higher Education (HCHE) with the Polytechnic of Central London (PCL).

ALREADY the reports that reach us show in many places that a general staking out of claims is in progress. The whole of municipal and other official life and almost every town seethes with the fervour of reconstruction. Most of the rumours concern projects which are of a rather nebulous kind but, so far as local government departments are concerned, the development of council work has become so extensive that new buildings or extensions of old ones are in prospect or are proposed, almost everywhere. Unfortunately in many instances we can discern the influence of those departments which are nearest to the routine council administration and only occasionally is the laudable plan adopted of giving consideration as a whole and as a unity to all the council services. In the clamour that follows libraries have a very low priority, even where education is recognized. Librarians would do well to be vigilant this winter. Even if they contemplate no immediate extension of their work, let them consider what ten or even twenty years may bring. After the first flush of victory—which, however appears to be a little further away than it seemed a month ago—there will follow a long lean era for all but the matters which are forced upon authorities. It is well then to have a considered plan ready.

OUR various accounts of the Portsmouth Conference, and the official record of it which is now in the hands of readers shows that it may be regarded as a successful one. It was specially notable for the absence of those bickerings and differences which must inevitably come to the surface at times. There may be something in the suggestion of one of our writers that the weather was a main factor. However that may be, there was uniform good temper, and we came away with the belief that a good week's work for librarianship had been done.