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The first section of this article is a brief statistical overview of operational computer applications in UK libraries, and of other UK computer‐based information services. In March 1973, 135 UK libraries had a total of 425 operational computer applications run on a total of 146 computers. In 1972, 12 British organizations supplied a total of 23 magnetic tape and other computer‐aided information services. The second section of the article reviews UK computer‐related research and development activity in the library/information field. It estimates that in 1972 there were about 60 formal British projects having an annual total expenditure rate in the region of £540 000. £327 000 of this expenditure on computer‐related projects in the library/information field was accounted for directly by OSTI grants and contracts. OSTI expenditure is analysed over the five year period 1969/70 to 1973/74. British Library research and development priority areas associated with the Library's operational services are identified. The final section of the article argues the need for a publicly formulated UK policy relating to the development of libraries and information services generally, and to the development of a national machine‐readable bibliographic information network in particular.

This report presents the results of a survey of UK university libraries carried out in October/November 1970 by the Aslib Computer Applications Group on behalf of Aslib, SCONUL, and the National Libraries ADP Study. Questionnaire response was obtained from 61 libraries, and the survey may be regarded as having effectively complete coverage of all UK university libraries with computer applications. The broad picture presented is of widespread mechanisation of the housekeeping rather than the information retrieval type. Over 60% of libraries had one or more applications; over 60% of all applications were in the cataloguing area, as distinct from the areas of acquisition, circulation and miscellaneous applications. Five libraries plan to have a fairly comprehensive range of applications by 1972. The amount of effort going into library automation is formidable, equivalent to the effort of (very approximately) 50 full‐time persons divided roughly equally between library staff and system analysts/programmers. This is only UK university library effort: a fraction of total UK library automation effort. This raises the question of the degree of communication, cooperation and coordination between projects, and it is noted that really significant cooperation tends to take place only with central encouragement and support. It is concluded that the speed of growth of the exchange and use of machine readable bibliographic records will be proportional to the amount of support and initiative provided by central organisations such as the British Library.

The design is outlined of a package comprising four main sets of programs referred to as ‘modules’; progress to date is noted and Modules 1 and 2 are described in some detail. The package is of direct use to IBM 360/370 users wishing to input, process and output MARC and MARC‐like records, but can also serve as a basis for software design and implementation for users of other computers. Module 1,MARC record input, which was developed with OSTI support has already been released in DOS and OS versions. Module 2, Local record input, will be released by the end of September 1973. Module 4, Output, will be released by the end of April 1974. With the completion of Module 4 the package will be operational for basic catalogue input, processing and output. No dates have been set for Module 3 which will be oriented to other application areas. Programs so far written are in Assembler and operate within a 64K core store machine (DOS) or a 64K partition (OS) with a minimum of 2 tape units and 3 disc drives. A number of developments are noted which will very considerably enhance the potential use of BNB/BL MARC services and it is concluded that the package will play its part in encouraging increased use of MARC records. It is projected that the majority of new BNB/BL MARC subscribers with IBM 360/370 machines will use the package, as will the British Library itself. A subsidiary finding of the library software package project is that where common programs are required by a number of installations including a central one, central provision and maintenance of this software has significant advantages.

This gives an account of work done since that reported in Program and up to the end of the feasibility study stage of the project. Activities are noted under the names of working groups responsible for initiating and implementing them.

Reference is made to an article in the July 1969 issue of Program and some statements in that article are amplified. The work plan of the project is then outlined, followed by a description of project work to August 1969. This description incorporates notes on work shortly to be undertaken by project working groups.

This article describes the experimental system whereby BNB has produced the Brighton Public Libraries catalogue in microfilm since September 1972, making use of the BNB/MARC data base and production facilities. Cost, currency and other relevant factors are examined in evaluation of this prototype system. It is concluded that the prototype system is viable in cost/performance terms and that a developed version would have lower costs and increased performance. It is noted that provision of this service accords with the objectives of the British Library and with the recommendations of the National Libraries ADP Study. The link with the BNB/LASER retrospective conversion project and the potential of the service for new local authorities is also noted. British Library provision of a service in time to be of use to the new local authorities is recommended. Views expressed are the personal views of the authors and are not necessarily those of their employing organisations.

The period that this report covers has been one of considerable achievement. The aim of the Birmingham Libraries' Co‐operative Mechanisation Project (BLCMP) has been to design and develop a system to utilise centrally produced machine‐readable bibliographic records in the MARC format in local situations, and to assess the practicability of a regional data bank, accessible to a number of libraries, using these records and records produced locally.

The work of the OSTI‐supported library housekeeping automation projects at the British National Bibliography, the University Libraries of Loughborough, Southampton, Oxford, Surrey, Lancaster, and Bath, and in the Birmingham Libraries' Cooperative Mechanisation Project and the South West University Libraries Systems Cooperative Project is described, and the state of progress of each as at Summer 1973 is indicated.

The Malaysian MARC (MALMARC) Project, which is one of five cooperative programmes involving the five university libraries and the National Library of Malaysia, constitutes one of the components of the developing Malaysian Research Library Network. The Project began in October 1977 as an experiment as a result of a feasibility study, and became an operational system in July 1979. During the experimental period, costing studies were undertaken and these revealed that for all the participating institutions, an automated cataloguing system was cheaper than the manual system. The MALMARC system is currently being operated by the MALMARC Coordinating Centre at the Universiti Sains Malaysia. Details of the system together with flowcharts are provided. The human and technical problems encountered are also discussed and this article concludes with a brief outline of future developments.

Chemical Group, Annual General Meeting. After lunch Dr G. A. Somerfield of OSTI delivered a paper entitled ‘The next 100 weeks in chemical information’, a shortened version of which we hope to publish in Aslib Proceedings.