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The services I am going to talk about are sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme, OECD (the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) and the Commission of the European Communities. Many databases, available online and otherwise, include information from a large number of countries. The aim of this paper is to provide an introduction to some less‐widely publicised activities which can assist you in obtaining information on environmental chemicals and pollution.

Discusses case studies of general enquiry services in 20 high‐profile national voluntary environmental organizations. Highlights public concern about the environment and the important role these services play in meeting demand for environmental information. Shows that they supply many different categories of enquirer with a wide range of environmental information, and that in doing so they both serve organizational aims and raise general awareness of environmental issues. This often means striking a delicate balance between what information can be provided free and what requires a charging policy. Found that some organizations increasingly employ marketing techniques to establish a recognizable profile in the minds of the public, their enquiry services working closely with publicity and membership departments. Also found some confusion in the minds of the public regarding which organization(s) to contact, and overlap and duplication of material. Suggests further research to look at ways of overcoming these problems.

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.

This paper presents an overview of past and present research projects associated with electronic document delivery. The paper briefly outlines the Follet Report and introduces the UK's Electronics Libraries Programme, including the recently funded Focused Investigation of Document Delivery (FIDDO) project at Loughborough University. Four research areas have been identified as follows: resource sharing projects; network communication projects; electronic scanning projects and electronic document delivery systems. Conclusions highlight the major impact that technological developments are currently having on this area, the need for librarians to reassess their role in the information chain, and the need for delivery systems capable of handling different formats and a wider coverage of material to satisfy requests.

The following bibliography focuses mainly on programs which can run on IBM microcomputers and compatibles under the operating system PC DOS/MS DOS, and which can be used in online information and documentation work. They fall into the following categories: