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Aware of both the opportunities for automation of its union catalogues and of the problems posed by a potential shift to uncontrolled direct interlending stimulated by the growth of the co‐operatives' shared cataloguing databases, the British Library set up an Ad hoc Working Party on Union Catalogues, which reported in April. A strategy of interlending catalogue provision is proposed that has as its main elements a Union Finding List of Foreign Language Monographs on COM, a Lending Division monograph stock catalogue, on COM and on‐line, and the Combined Regional Locations List enhanced with Lending Division stock. Work is under way to choose a system capable of supporting these catalogues as well as the acquisition, cataloguing and request checking activities of the Division. The first phases of operation are scheduled for 1984.

The Report of the British Library ad hoc Working Party on Union Catalogues was published recently. The author, who is Head of Records at the British Library Lending Division and who acted as Secretary of the Working Party, provides a commentary on its recommendations and outlines the relationship between the proposed interlending strategy and the UK Library Database System. Progress towards the Lending Division monograph stock catalogue and the union finding list of foreign language monographs recommended by the Working Party are also reported.

Microcomputers and general purpose software packages can be successfully used in the automation of aspects of interlibrary lending (ILL) systems. The main components of such microcomputer systems are outlined and the software packages which can be used as system building‐blocks are considered. Brief overviews are given of several available ILL administration systems: Administration of Interlending by Microcomputer (AIM), Fast Inter‐Library Loan and Statistics (FILLS), Automatiska Fjärrlåne Rutiner i ett Kraftfullt Arrangemang (AFRIKA) and two others. The commonest use of microcomputers for ILL is for transmission of requests. Specific examples considered are the OCLC ILL Micro Enhancer, the Montana State Library system and the Leicester Polytechnic ARTTel software. The successful systems described indicate that ILL functions can be automated on a microcomputer at low cost and with minimal expertise.

The IRSC Scheme ended on 31 December 1973 after the British Library had undertaken to provide loan access to current British non‐fiction monographs. The scheme is described briefly. The results of a survey to determine the nature of the problem posed by requests from the regions for items out of the scope of the British Library Lending Division's acquisitions policy are presented. It is concluded that the BLLD can provide a similar level of service while saving the regions much administrative and financial effort.

The results of a sample survey of requests processed by the BLLD were compared with those from a similar survey carried out in 1974. The general pattern was similar; however a fall in the success rates from stock for foreign language and older humanities serials was observed. In contrast the BLLD is markedly more able to satisfy requests for English language monographs from stock, though a greater proportion was on loan when requested.

Investigates the history of the machine‐readable catalogue (MARC). Compares US and UK attitudes to MARC and raises the fact that US and British standards are incompatible. Suggests that the two should be able to integrate and gives reasons for this.

The arrangement of the existing monograph stock at the BLLD is outlined, and the investigation to determine the optimum system for the BLLD's requirements described. From this, several models emerged from which one, involving alphabetical arrangement of recently acquired books and numerical arrangement of the rest, was chosen. The effects of implementing this decision are then discussed, with special attention to the large, uncatalogued collection from the NLLST.

In retrospect, the process of merging the National Central Library with the National Lending Library for Science and Technology might appear to have moved with clockwork precision and with little dissent. Logic and far‐sighted planning might now seem to have been inexorable.

The British Library Lending Division came into being in 1973 when the National Central Library was integrated with the stock and services of the National Lending Library for Science and Technology at Boston Spa. The original buildings have been added to by specially designed accommodation. The loan/photocopy service, based on the use of a pre‐paid three‐part request form, has been supplemented by computer requesting, links through database operators such as DIALOG, and the telephone for urgent requests. Road/rail transport links with many parts of the country have been introduced and now account for over half of all items dispatched. A rapid growth in demand in the first seven years was followed by a decline and then a levelling off in 1982/83. The proportion of demand accounted for by International Services increased from 9% in 1973/74 to 21% in 1982/83. The Division has developed close connections with IFLA and the European Communities. As a result of a British Library Ad hoc Working Party on Union Catalogues, which reported in 1982, the Division's stock records and union catalogues are being automated. The British Union Catalogue of Periodicals ceased to be issued and its bibliographic function was replaced by Serials in the British Library, issued by the Bibliographic Services Division from 1981. Certain libraries with large or important stocks were designated to serve as backup collections; from 1979 more requests went to backups than were provided with locations. The British Library Reference Division has not only supplied photocopies as a backup but begun to lend items held in the Department of Oriental Manuscripts and Printed Books and the Science Reference Library. Close relations have been maintained with users and with relevant organizations. The acquisitions policy established in 1973 has changed little, though music scores were added in 1974, and rationalization of resources with Reference Division has resulted in a small drop in the number of serials acquired. The British National Book Centre activities of the NCL were merged with the donations activities of the NLLST to form the Gift and Exchange Section. Until 1982 the service was free but economies on staff and resources led to a restricted and priced service. Courses in the use of the scientific literature were extended to other subjects but had to be terminated as an economy measure in 1980. For similar reasons the ad hoc translating service was discontinued at the end of 1981. The cover‐to‐cover translations of (mainly Russian) scientific and technical journals sponsored by the NLLST have continued as part of the Division's extensive publication programme, which now recovers all its costs. Cost recovery increased from a quarter to a half of all expenditure over the period. The Division has kept up with relevant developments in automation and electronic publishing.