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The evidence‐based approach to social services will deliver higher quality only if the necessary evidence on what works is there and available to managers. Success will also require an organisational change, away from the ‘culture of action’ and towards one of assessment, reflection and training; evidence is of no value unless it is understood and digested.

Using evidence in social services decision‐making is becoming increasingly important. Through the Centre for Evidence‐Based Social Services, the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme has developed training for social services practitioners to enable them to develop skills in making sense of research papers, in order to use this evidence appropriately.

IN 1846, Charlotte Brontë was attempting to find a publisher for the sisters' first book—a selection of their poems. It was a bad time for poetry. In the earlier years of the century it had flourished remarkably with the rise of Scott and Byron, whose popularity brought record sales, but by the 1840s the demand had declined, and while prose fiction had a reasonable market, poetry was unwanted. Even the arch‐publisher of Victorian poets, Edward Moxon, was not keen to undertake the Poems (1844) of the established Elizabeth Barrett, and showed some reluctance even in the publication of Wordsworth. By 1848 Charlotte had come to appreciate ‘that “the Trade” are not very fond of hearing about poetry, and that it is but too often a profitless encumbrance on the shelves of the bookseller's shop’. It is little wonder, therefore, that of 1846 she later wrote: ‘As was to be expected, neither we nor our poems were at all wanted…. The great puzzle lay in the difficulty of getting answers of any kind from the publishers to whom we applied.’

Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).

The historical study of sexuality during the Victorian period has been influenced heavily by the development of sexology as a scientific field. The impetus of sexology to delineate and categorize “types” of sexuality and sexual behavior has situated the late nineteenth century as a starting point for studies of contemporary concepts of sexual “abnormality.” However, research into this subject, while drawing on both legal and medical discourses, has overwhelmingly ignored the value of porn in reconstructing the dynamics of Victorian sexuality. Accordingly, this chapter integrates legal, medical, and pornographic discourses of the late nineteenth century to develop a more thorough examination of Victorian sexual experiences that fell outside the limits of prescribed legal and medical “normalcy.”

Less than half a century ago almost the entire population of the United States lived upon food that was home‐grown and home‐prepared. With the exception of a few articles requiring a different climate than our own for their production, such as coffee, tea, sugar, spices, and chocolate, the inhabitants of the country lived exclusively upon food of their own producing, while the dealers of the city were supplied with the products of the neighbouring farms. Provisions of all kinds were supplied in an unprepared condition, and their preservation or preparation for the table was accomplished at the home.

It has often been said that a great part of the strength of Aslib lies in the fact that it brings together those whose experience has been gained in many widely differing fields but who have a common interest in the means by which information may be collected and disseminated to the greatest advantage. Lists of its members have, therefore, a more than ordinary value since they present, in miniature, a cross‐section of institutions and individuals who share this special interest.

MY MAIDEN NAME was Lamb and this, I think, was the tenuous thread that first drew me towards Charles Lamb when I was in my teens. His letters and essays were compulsory reading at school as a background study to the Romantic poets. My heart warmed to Lamb because of the revelation of his personality in his writings and for the glimpses he gave of his contemporaries, seeming to welcome the reader into the charmed circle of his friends. If I had been restricted to a classroom study of the Tales from Shakespeare, with which his name is first associated in the minds of many readers, I might never have gone on to discover the warmth of his humanity and the sparkle of his humour that glow from his letters and essays. In this year of the 200th anniversary of his birth I hope that many readers will turn back to these writings to renew acquaintance with Charles Lamb as I have done and find the same endearing qualities that won my affection in adolescence.

A systematic review of the literature was completed to examine the needs of those who provide care to people with intellectual disability and dementia. The purpose of this paper was to develop an understanding of the complexities, challenges and support available to meet the needs of an ageing population.

A qualitative evidence synthesis was used to appraise 12 studies. An evidence synthesis approach was used to better understand the challenges caregivers experience in caring for a person with intellectual disability and dementia. Aggregating and integrating findings from multiple studies allowed to identify inconsistencies, quality, relationships and trends to enhance the awareness of gaps in care provision.

There were six main domains identified from the available literature which included: gaps in knowledge and skills, early identification of dementia and associated difficulties, managing behaviour, coping, burden of care and Impact on confidence.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to use qualitative evidence synthesis to understand the challenges of caring for a person with intellectual disability and dementia.