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The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of EU‐wide databases as a means of combating organised crime.

The paper looks at three specific examples of proposed databases: networking national criminal records; the creation of a European criminal record; and a database for investigations and prosecutions.

The paper concludes that, while such databases are feasible and useful tools in combating organised crime, until there is progress in harmonising criminal law and procedure they will be resisted by Member States.

EU‐wide databases are feasible and can assist in combating organised crime.

The paper has value for researchers, practitioners and policymakers.

Presents briefly the impact of information technology in information management and the major activities to be considered for improving information accessibility in India, including database production and publication by employing centralised input and centralised processing and decentralised input and centralised processing, and utilisation of existing international databases by way of leasing or through online access. Discusses the Indian scenario and information availability with various departments/agencies for database production. Lists the Indian database service providers with their services from government and corporate agencies. Concludes that the database sector is growing very fast in spite of some factors hindering its growth. The industry is still in a nascent stage even though providers are rushing to provide information.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on “Adults with learning disabilities known to local authorities in Scotland: a national dataset” by Claire Stuart and colleagues.

Drawing on experiences with the National Intellectual Disability Database in Ireland, the authors identify the key elements to be addressed such as the uses to which information from the database will be put; the definition of intellectual disability for inclusion of individuals; defining the information to be gathered; the systems for gathering information; checking and auditing the information that is collected, and the types of reports emerging from the analyses.

A national database of persons with an intellectual disability is at least desirable – if not essential – to the delivery of equitable and effective service supports. The advent of computerised data management tools makes this a realistic option in most European countries although debates continue around the protection of personal data and the costs involved in establishing and maintaining dedicated databases.

National data sets on intellectual disability can make a significant contribution to equitable and effective service planning. However, major challenges need to be overcome so that the information collected is reliable and valid.

Computer usage has become commonplace and there has been an increasing number of local efforts in organising indigenous information for individual and institutional utility. Access to information online or in CD‐ROM media is now just a matter of money; at the same time access to indigenous information has remained a challenging effort both for the user and the infomediary. Information services/products of all kinds are being generated by various agencies in the government, public and private sectors and are emerging out into the Indian information marketplace. There are a number of abstracting journals, which, in a natural process of migration, are now available in dual formats – print as well as machine readable. Besides bibliographic information, service providers are generating factual information – as directories of all descriptions, financial and commercial data, full texts of case laws, export‐import policy and so on. In this paper an attempt is made to present an overview of some of the important electronic databases developed in India or on Indian topics.

VINE is produced at least four times a year with the object of providing up‐to‐date news of work being done in the automation of library housekeeping processes, principally in the UK. It is edited and substantially written by the Information Officer for Library Automation based in Southampton University Library and supported by a grant from the British Library Research and Development Department. Copyright for the articles rests with the British Library Board and opinions expressed in VINE do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the British Library. The subscription for 1984 to VINE is: £23 for UK subscribers, £26 to overseas subscribers (including airmail delivery). Second and subsequent copies to the same address are charged at £14 for UK and £16 for overseas. VINE is available in either paper or microfiche copy and all back issues are available on microfiche.

A project aimed at creating a multi-national database for cataract and refractive surgery was initiated in 2008. The database was intended for learning and clinical improvement, not supervision. The project was co-funded by the European Union, under the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers and the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) and supported by 11 national societies for cataract and refractive surgery. The purpose of this article is to describe the setup of the database and the ensuing achievements within cataract surgery after four years.

A web-based system was created for input and output of data, with a software interface to two databases, one for cataract surgery and one for refractive surgery. Data can be put in either manually through web forms or by transfer of data from existing national registries or large electronic medical record systems. Output of reports from the system or export of one's own data is available on the web. The data are anonymous to all users, with the sole exception that reporting surgeons and clinics have access to their own data. The system does not include any patient identification.

After four years, data from 16 countries have been entered into the system, including reports of more than 900,000 cataract extractions. The database has been used by individual clinics for benchmarking and clinical improvement work, and has also served as the basis for new clinical guidelines for cataract surgery. The ESCRS has guaranteed the sustainability of the database after the project period.

A European quality registry with data input from surgeons and clinics in 16 European countries has been established. Close to one million surgeries have been entered into the system during the first four years. Evidence-based guidelines have been published based on data in the registry. The system is used for benchmarking by both experienced surgeons and trainees.

1. Introduction to the German Language Session. The German session (rather, the German language session) at the 18th International Online Conference in London, 6–8 December 1994, was on the subject of German or German language databases for national and international users. This subject is best shown using environmental sciences as an example.

When the initial library networks were established in the United States, they provided affordable, online automation services that were available from virtually no other source. The surge of automation experienced by American libraries for the past two decades has altered the historical relationships that characterize library cooperation. Local networks are being created and machine‐readable products previously available only from the networks are now being packaged on optical media and distributed to individual institutions. With these technological advances, the need for, services offered by, and financial viability of the networks have begun to undergo dramatic change. This is also a time of great opportunity for libraries and networks. There is on the horizon what may be the infrastructure for a national information network. The realization of this network will require close cooperation of librarians, who have embraced the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model for networking, and members of the academic and research community, which is still relying heavily on the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocols (TCP/IP) for communications purposes.

Outlines new database products appearing in the Gale Directory of Databases, a two‐volume work published twice a year. Provides figures for the distribution and percentage of new and newly implemented social science, humanities, and news and general databases, together with a list of the databases including name, vendor and medium. Briefly discusses these by each medium.

User poll picks ‘best’ business databases In an effort to determine which of more than fifty business‐oriented online databases yielded the ‘best’ information, Washington Researchers Ltd., polled hundreds of participants in its Researching Company Information Seminars held throughout the country over the past year.