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As I listened recently to Alex Wilson delivering a paper on conservation I was reminded of his excellence as a lucid communicator of ideas, enthusiasm and timely sense of direction. His 1977 paper “The threshold of choice” must be one of the most frequently cited papers of recent times, and in a brief state‐of‐the‐art article on systematic bookstock management, Nick Moore has called the paper “seminal”. The concept of managing stock is a central element in Wilson's thinking, though he establishes its critical interaction with the management of all resources. This interaction may appear obvious but critics of a systematic stock management approach persist in attacking it for lacking properties and objectives which it cannot, by definition, have nor aspire to: as McClellan pointed out, and Moore re‐iterates, it is a sub‐system operating within the context of a greater whole, not an isolated system. The approach may nonetheless be regarded as subversive partly because it potentially challenges what may have become comfortable assumptions, partly because its adoption presupposes changes in methods and attitudes, the influence of which is likely to extend in all directions. Wilson is able to indicate this practical and conceptual influence in a way which speaks directly to the needs of UK public libraries without appearing to threaten the fabric of their existence.

We live in a consumer society. Most of us make significant, expensive purchases of consumer durables, with, I suspect, increasing frequency. It is interesting to consider the ways in which we go about making these purchases. Generally, there appear to be three different approaches. Some people simply go into town on a Saturday, drift around the shops and buy whatever appears most closely to meet their needs. Or more probably, buy the item which is recommended by the sales person they trust most. Others check through Which? and select the item which best meets their needs for the price they are prepared to pay. The third category, and I must confess to being part of this group, buy something on impulse and then, as they write out the cheque, feel a twinge of guilt because they had not checked in Which?.

The current and future applications and implications of the Internet within and for libraries are indicated. Aspects of the virtual library are considered, followed by the impact of the Internet on aspects of library holdings. Features of online access, including search engine performance, are noted and collection development effects pointed out. Security issues, including pornography and copyright are described, and finally future implications of the Internet for libraries, through home versus library use and discussion groups, and influences on the Internet of library science are discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to examine Nick Moore’s information policy matrix and how it has been used by Moore and others.

This study involved secondary search and a bibliographic study of the impact Moore’s work has had on other authors.

It is clear that there have been two quite separate trains of research in information policy, one in the USA and one in Europe, and that it appears from the literature that there is limited awareness of each other’s work. Focusing on the UK and European research, the papers the authors inspected that report information policy analyses make no mention of Moore’s work. It could be argued that Moore’s matrix is too simplistic for such a complex topic as information policy, but it may also be the case that there is a lack of awareness of how the matrix can be used in policy analysis as Moore’s published papers were general descriptions of the matrix, reported the findings of his analyses or suggested policy goals. Moore did not publish theoretical or methodological papers to explain how to go about policy analysis using his matrix.

This study is based on secondary research and bibliographic analysis. Furthermore, primary research could have revealed deeper insights into use and impact of Moore’s framework by analysts and policy makers.

The paper highlights potential opportunities for international collaboration on information policy research, to explore more deeply theoretical models that could be used to underpin policy analysis as well as the potential value of Moore’s matrix.

This book was first commissioned as Report 5876 to the British Library Research and Development Department. It records the input of funds to public libraries from external sources during 1984/85, charting as it goes the providing agencies and the impact of the funding upon the services receiving it. I had better say at once that I was one of the librarians interviewed by Nick Moore in the course of his research for the report, and that he was kind enough to show me a draft before it achieved its present status.

One of the sessions at December's Online Information Meeting in London dealt with the Information Society: what it is, how it can come about and the implications for the people who live in it.

Currently in Great Britain 12.9% of the workforce are unemployed — over three million people. Within this overall total there are considerable variations in the levels of employment in different parts of the country. Even within individual local authorities there will be sizeable differences in the actual size of unemployment from one town to another.

Information will play an important role in the economic, social and political development of the People's Republic of China. The information industries will be of growing importance within the Chinese economy and they will play an important part in the interaction with the international economy. Within Chinese organizations information can be used to improve productivity. Access to information is also an important element in the working of social and political systems. It is necessary to develop a range of policies to ensure that information services and systems are developed in the most effective way. When analysing the policy arena it is possible to identify three different policy levels: industrial; organizational and social. At each of these levels, there are five elements which need to be taken into account: information technology; information markets; information engineering; human resources, and legislation and regulation. By combining the levels and elements it is possible to construct an information policy matrix which can be used to analyse the policy requirements.

We are undergoing profound technological change and countries all over the world are responding by developing policies that are intended to shape the development of information societies. The goals of these policies are remarkably similar, although it is possible to identify differences in the motivating factors. When considering the mechanisms that have been chosen to achieve the policy goals, it is possible to identify two broadly divergent models. One is based on neo‐liberal economic philosophies and emphasises the importance of market‐led solutions, exploiting private capital. This approach has been adopted by the G7 nations, the European Union and Western‐oriented economies such as Australia. The alternative model can be described as dirigiste. It is based on a much greater degree of intervention and, consequently, places more emphasis on the role of the state as a participant rather than as a facilitator. This approach is characteristic of the economies in East Asia. While it is early yet to identify the effects of the policies, it is possible to discern differences in the rates of social change and economic growth; the degree of stability and social cohesion and in what is becoming known as the cultural ecology of the information society. The broad lesson seems to be that, when dealing with a pervasive social, political, economic and cultural phenomenon, neo‐liberal policy mechanisms with their emphasis on narrow economic solutions are inadequate. The holistic approach that is characterised by the dirigiste model seems more appropriate.