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UnCover, a multidisciplinary article access database, was released in December 1988 to members of CARL (Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries). Since its release, access to UnCover has been acquired by additional libraries through a gateway connection. UnCover is made possible by the cooperation of eight of the CARL libraries, which presently send their journals to CARL Systems Inc., where they are checked in and their table of contents entered into the UnCover database (See Table 1). The journals are returned to their libraries within 24 hours. The diversity of the universities' academic programs and the many interests of the public library clients have resulted in the creation of this large database containing journal citations on virtually every subject (See Table 2). As of June 1990, UnCover contains nearly 10,000 journal titles and over 900,000 article titles.

Presents an overview of two projects undertaken by CARL systems to provide on‐line indexing and self‐service document delivery for journals. Considers two major issues raised by indexing services: copyright and economic realignment. Summarises that UnCover2 is a transition project, one of the major challenges facing the profession being the accessibility of scholarly discourse to all.

Societal grand challenges have moved from a marginal concern to a mainstream issue within organization and management theory. How diverse forms of organizing help tackle – or reinforce – grand challenges has become centrally important. In this introductory paper, we take stock of the contributions to the volume on Organizing for Societal Grand Challenges and identify three characteristics of grand challenges that require further scholarly attention: their interconnectedness, fluidity, and paradoxical nature. We also emphasize the need to expand our methodological repertoire and reflect upon our practices as a scholarly community.

IN a system like that of the Public Library, which is yet in the evolutionary stage, it is but natural—as it is also a sign of vitality —that there should be conflicting opinions on many questions of administration. On one general principle, however, librarians are unanimous. It is that the Public Library should be conducted upon sound business methods. Yet, strange to say, although it is generally conceded that sound business principles are essential to success in librarianship, that a lack of business acumen is fatal to efficiency, one of the cardinal points of modern business has been almost altogether overlooked. Systematic advertising, the key‐note of modern business, which forms the chief difference between the new methods and the old, is the point to which we refer. That advertisement, the real secret of success, has been overlooked, is not wholly the result of accident, but is rather due to the fact that many librarians are haunted by a fear of degrading their profession by employing this means of reaching the public. They fear that, if they advertise, they may be classed with the vendors of Black's Pills or Green's Ointment; but, after all, the Public Library is a business institution—it may not be a commercial institution, but it is certainly a business one. It is here—if we may be allowed a short digression to illustrate our point—that British and American libraries differ so radically. The successful American librarian is not a librarian as we know one. He is a business man. Granted that it is a part of his business to know the ins and outs of technical librarianship; yet, unlike his British contemporary, he does not consider it his whole business. He has a trained staff to whom he can leave the technical detail, while he devotes himself to running the library on the most approved business lines. The result has been that, instead of the American librarian being degraded, he has risen very highly in the estimation of the public. And if the status of the American librarian can thus be raised, why not that of the British? It is not necessary to use startling handbills or aggressive posters to achieve the desired end. It is absolutely true that in many towns possessing excellent and old‐established libraries, there is a large percentage of the population to which the library is a dead letter, or is altogether unknown. On examining the figures in the Annotated Syllabus, which have been compiled from the returns of most British libraries, we find that the percentage of possible readers is fifty, while the percentage of actual readers is twenty. This leaves the large percentage of thirty, representing people who must be reached through advertising.

“GIVE a dog a bad name and hang him,” is an aphorism which has been accepted for many years. But, like many other household words, it is not always true. Even if it were, the dog to be operated upon would probably prefer a gala day at his Tyburn Tree to being executed in an obscure back yard.

MANY things have happened since this magazine first appeared in a slim and modest form in July, 1898. Librarianship in all its branches has advanced in nearly every direction, and a more youthful and enthusiastic spirit is abroad, which may, or may not, eclipse the pioneer work of those who strove during the “nineties” to improve upon past ideals and work. Considering the nature of the accomplishments of the older generation, it will be a hard task, at any rate under existing conditions in the United Kingdom, to achieve much more. In America, where there is less financial paralysis, it is more probable that novel developments will be evolved, but in the old country nothing very great can be expected till the rate limitation is at least doubled. Nothing has been done by Parliament in twelve years to legislate in favour of Public Libraries of any kind, and although the Library Association and various municipalities have tried hard for a revision of the library law, pressure of parliamentary business, and the indifference of statesmen towards this question have proved too much for the friends of the library movement.