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Five prominent consultants‐Richard Boss, Susan Baerg Epstein, Rob McGee, Joseph Matthews, and James E. Rush—discuss the three most common mistakes made by librarians involved in automation. These mistakes are costly in terms of time, money, and functional success. They are made repeatedly; all are avoidable.

Five prominent consultants‐Richard Boss, Susan Baerg Epstein, Rob McGee, Joseph Matthews, and James E. Rush—discuss the most common mistakes vendors make in implementing automated systems. Basic problems relate to identification of library needs; communications; delivery dates; inadequate systems; and systems support. Suggestions are made for correcting these problems.

Computer technology continues to evolve and improve at an astonishing rate; and the cost for most computer equipment will continue to decline over time. Now library automation software, especially software for the online public access catalog, needs to be evolving and improving. It is time for librarians individually and collectively to indicate what improvements they want to see in the “expanding OPAC”. As libraries and vendors begin to work on tomorrow’s systems, we must not lose sight of a basic element of human nature. Zipf’s “Principle of Least Effort” states that “Each individual will adopt a course of action that will involve the expenditure of the probable least average (least effort) of his work.” The time for action is now! It is time to move beyond “the same old systems” into a new era that incorporates impovements of a library’s existing databases, embraces the research results of the information‐seeking process, and makes fundamental improvements by adding new databases. Users need and deserve innovative online search systems! These new systems will, hopefully, convert the frustrated user of today’s OPAC into the eager user of tomorrow’s local library system.

Five prominent consultants look into the future, projecting technological advancements that, in some cases, will enhance current library systems, and in many cases will cause them to become obsolete. Major trends include advances in mainframe and microcomputing technology, the development of inexpensive local area networks and telecommunications gateways, and the advent of (mass) optical storage.

Since the development of antipsychotic drugs in the 1950s, a variety of studies and case reports have been published that suggest an association between exposure to typical antipsychotics and venous thromboembolisms (VTE). Therefore, when starting treatment with antipsychotics, especially low-potency typical antipsychotics and clozapine, health-care providers must account for the patient’s existing VTE risk factors.

In this case report, the authors describe the development of a pulmonary embolism associated with use of chlorpromazine in the treatment of an acute manic episode in a 51-year-old female patient with bipolar disorder type 1.

The patient was brought to the emergency room by the police on a legal hold for bizarre behaviors at a bus stop, which included incessantly yelling at bystanders. The patient was found to have disorganized thoughts, poor sleep, rapid speech, labile mood, distractibility, auditory hallucinations and grandiose delusions. During the course of her stay, the patient received extensive IM chlorpromazine for extreme agitation, in addition to chlorpromazine 200 mg IM Q8H, which was later decreased to chlorpromazine 100 mg chlorpromazine IM/PO Q8H. On day 4 of the treatment, the patient experienced difficulty breathing, hypoxia and tachycardia and was found to have bilateral expiratory wheezes. CT angiography showed sub-segmental pulmonary embolus and the patient was transferred to MICU service. The patient was then intubated and started on heparin by the medical team. Over the course of the next day, her respiratory distress resolved and the patient was extubated.

It is possible that chlorpromazine may indeed increase VTEs, and there are various physiological postulations regarding the mechanism of action. However, multiple confounding variables existed in the authors’ report, including venous stasis and the use of restraints, tobacco and valproic acid. Each of these variables has been shown to increase VTE occurrence. Further controlled studies are necessary to identify the true relationship between antipsychotics and VTEs.

Below are summaries of some of the most cited works on amenities by economists. The review started with key recent works, such as those by Edward Glaeser et al., and worked back to major earlier works. Review articles were given preference, as they provide a summary of the field. Website addresses are available for many papers, to facilitate global access.

Alison Curtis, Joseph Matthews, Dan Haverkamp, Charles Farley, and James Michael offer their comments on the future of library automation from their perspective as vendors. This forum updates a similar symposium published four years earlier. When read in tandem, the 1985 forum and the 1989 version cover most of the same technologies (CD‐ROM, OPACs, gateways, but not expert systems and FAX) and issues (standards, co‐operation, money) but there is a difference. It is one of emphasis. In 1985 the emphasis seemed to be on the potential of new technologies to solve problems. Today the emphasis is more on the problems to be encountered and conquered if these technologies are to reach their real potential.

Companies that supply libraries with automation technology are part of the computer‐industry marketplace. However, vendors that serve the library component of this marketplace face problems not typical of the industry as a whole. Significant and unique problems include the protracted selection processes employed by libraries, the very slow and drawn‐out payment cycles, the dependence of the libraries on vendors, and the adversarial relationships that frequently exist between the libraries and vendors. These, and related issues, are discussed by representatives of eight prominent automation firms: Joseph R. Matthews (INLEX), James J. Michael (Data Research Associates), Harry Porteous (Geac), Gene Robinson (CLSI), Stephen R. Salmon (Carlyle), Stephen Silberstein (Innovative Interfaces), Phyllis Bova Spies (OCLC Local Systems), and Harriet Valázques (Utlas).

Representatives of six prominent library system vendors—Joseph R. Matthews (Inlex), Mike Monahan (Geac), Kelvin Browne (Utlas), Carl Lee (VTLS), Michael J. Mellinger (Data Research) and Stephen R. Salmon (Carlyle)—address the key issues related to system performance. From their experiences and perspectives as vendors, they address the issues of 1) designing, configuring and sizing systems, 2) the establishment of performance criteria, 3) the use of benchmark and acceptance tests, 4) the risks of miscalculations, 5) the roles of the vendor, consultant and library, and 6) related topics.

Automation planners need to view retrospective conversion from an informed and balanced perspective. They must consider: 1) the technical dimensions of retrospective conversion, 2) the appropriate standards to employ, 3) the proper relationship of conversion activities to the entire automation project, and 4) options available for converting a bibliographic database into machine‐readable format. Six prominent consultants provide important advice on this topic.