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The Agriculture Library acquired one of the three original M300s received by the University of Kentucky Libraries in spring of 1984. The M300 was placed in Agriculture because of the IBM PC expertise of some of the staff, and it was felt that the versatility of the machine could be effectively tested. Once the M300 was installed, funding was sought and approved through the College of Agriculture to acquire the auxiliaries, including a modem and printer. A Hayes 1200B modem and an IBM Quietwriter printer as well as an IBM keyboard were ordered to test the use of this machine.

When the M300 is not being used for OCLC‐related functions or for database searching, it can be used easily and inexpensively for elementary bibliographic instruction. This function can be set up by any librarian who has access to the computer and a word processing program.

WELCOME TO M300 and PC REPORT With the selection by OCLC of the IBM Personal Computer as its system's workstation, library technical processing and management activity will increasingly depend upon that hardware. Adoption of the IBM by the Washington Library Network, by major academic libraries for public terminal access to computerized local catalogs as well as for microcomputer centers, and by library supply agencies for software development makes the IBM PC the overwhelming microcomputer choice for all types of libraries.

An IBM PC Library Users Group was organized during the two‐day Library Software Conference held in Columbus, OH, October 2–4. Initial goals of the group and an early schedule of activities were agreed upon by the conferees who met until 10:30 p.m. in a room crowded to capacity. The M300 and PC REPORT will serve as the group's communication forum as well as its initial administrative agent.

The M300/IBM PC Users Group is rapidly gaining new members and has been offered a Bulletin Board in Des Moines, IA for its use. What is needed now are persons across the country who are willing to work with the administrative agent to establish a leadership structure, to plan the group's initial meeting during the Chicago 1985 ALA conference (July 6–11), to develop the parameters of the bulletin board, to set membership criteria, to develop users group goals and objectives, to develop and lead local chapters, and to report news and activities to M300. Back issues of M300 and PC REPORT contain an application form which may be used for membership, suggesting, or reporting purposes. We particularly need persons who are willing to be officers and volunteers.

After some experimentation, I found the following modifications to the batch files of the OCLC terminal software v[ersion]2.00 make it possible to load the software from, and to save screens to, a hard disk.

Setting up an SC350 may look complicated at first, but with patience, some computer background, and support from knowledgeable contacts, creating a fully operational SC350 workstation does not have to be a nerve‐wracking experience. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to work with a very helpful staff at OCLC and SUNY OCLC. The following could be considered a report on “how we did it” or could be useful information for the library preparing for or considering using SC350. Once the technicians arrive with the hardware, you are faced with assembling an M300 terminal, CRT, a Tallgrass hard disk drive, an unattached modem, and a printer. You are supplied with several lengthy manuals, and have virtually very little idea of how to proceed. The technicians will unpack and hook‐up the following items: the disk drive and CRT. They will further assist you by installing your M300 software on floppy disks. They are very polite, will wish you luck, and leave. But what about the modem, hard disk, and printer? To finish the job at hand, it is important to read through the manuals and sort through the remaining unpacked materials in order to prepare a successful gameplan.

On April 2, 1987, IBM unveiled a series of long‐awaited new hardware and software products. The new computer line, dubbed the Personal Systems 30, 50, 60, and 80, seems destined to replace the XT and AT models that are the mainstay of the firm's current personal computer offerings. The numerous changes in hardware and software, while representing improvements on previous IBM technology, will require users purchasing additional computers to make difficult choices as to which of the two IBM architectures to adopt.

IBM now has a strong share of the microcomputer market and many programs are available for the IBM PC, PC XT and compatible microcomputers. Of all the programs (both general and library applications combined) indexed in the MSR, volume II (Nolan 1983) there were 280 configured for the Apple microcomputers followed by 194 that can be run on IBM equipment or operating systems.

After contracting with a communications carrier, such as Telenet or Tymenet, and a database service, such as BRS or Dialog, setting up the Hayes Smartcom II to aid in database searching with the M300 or any other IBM PC can be a frustrating experience, especially if you rely on the manual provided by the company. Though Smartcom II will do a lot more than covered in this introduction, following the steps outlined here will provide a practical way to begin using it.