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NRCd have produced a useful pamphlet which, because of machine development, unfortunately will soon be out of date. In discussing six ‘full‐size’ COM fiche readers a phrase such as “The Agfa‐Gevaert LF 303 is essentially similar to the LF 101 reader…” repeatedly occurs. These machines are subject to the same face‐lift operations (continuous development) as the motor car though the design of one of the most highly recommended models, also “one of the older readers in this group”, has been stabilised for some years; it, the Microscot NMI 90 has had at least one change of name: it used to be the Scottish Instruments NMI 90!

The major bibliographic utilities in North America were established in the 1970s. What role are they playing in the 1980s? This select bibliography provides a synopsis of what is happening in the world of bibliographic utilities.

Interlending activities in various countries, particularly in academic libraries, are examined. The growth of networking and the importance of a strong infrastructure are discussed. A system of cost recovery for large net‐lenders is outlined. Developments in copyright are reviewed.

This paper explores the question of whether the identification of many wrongdoings in an organisation requires knowledge of the technical and operating mechanisms of that organisation. If such is the case, many ethical problems cannot be resolved by a generalist. They must be left to people with knowledge of that industry. In attempting to answer the question, the paper examines 11 different types of organisations. It then asks how the ethical issues in those organisations might be resolved. The organisations are veterinarians, pharmacies, media companies, engineering firms, doctors, general businesses, including two sub disciplines, marketing and accounting organisations, nursing institutions, political parties, scientific research organisations, legal firms and information technology companies. Each can be a small professional company, locally based, or a large organisation, possibly international. Each exhibits one or more ethical problems that are not easily resolved by accepted ethical theory. Accepted theory, as further defined in the text, is the mainline ethical theories that would be core components of most ethics texts or courses. The question arises then on how would ethics be taught if the ethical issues require specialised knowledge of that industry sector. After examining the 11 industries, the paper puts forth two views. One is that a number of wrongs can be identified in industries and organisations where the ethical problems are complex and difficult to resolve, and where the standard ethical theories are of little or no help. Resolving these issues requires action from the organisation, or from the industry association encompassing all companies within that sector. A further complication has developed in the near explosive growth in whistleblower protection systems. These systems, now introduced in close to 30 countries around the world, have their own lists of wrongdoings for which the whistleblower will receive administrative and legal support. These lists of wrongs are distinct from any moral theory One conclusion to be drawn is that new methods possibly need to be found for teaching the identification and resolution of ethical issues. A second is a consequence of the first – that the teacher of ethics in these courses has to be drawn from within the industry. Further questions then arise: One is whether this demand then requires that this industry specialist learn moral theory? A second is then how would generalist applied ethics causes be taught (in humanities departments for instance)? Alternate viewpoints on joint teaching by a moral specialist and an industry specialist have been put forward. The paper puts forward one possible approach for the industry courses – that the industry specialist has to present the course, with new methods and content, but that a theoretical content is taught by someone knowledgeable in ethical theory. For generalist courses, the moral theorist has to include a sufficiently wide sample of industry and organisational ethical issues to ensure that students are aware of the wide range of ethical concerns that can arise, as well as approaches to resolving them.

This article explores the relationship of commercial document delivery services with libraries in an arena traditionally dominated by interlibrary services, focusing on the supply of article photocopies. Major trends in interlibrary lending and private sector services are summarized. Commercial services are divided into two groups: collection‐specific and full‐service suppliers. The article explores the fit of commercial services in a resource‐sharing environment. Evidence is presented that corporate libraries are more likely to use commercial services than their academic counterparts. Speed of delivery is found to be the vital factor to librarians in both types of libraries, although economic issues are also important. The article concludes with a discussion of the private sector in developing and introducing new technology for document delivery.

The CBS Evening News reports that foreigners now hold over one trillion, five hundred billion U.S. dollars and assets. In 1988 alone, there were 307 foreign acquisitions of U.S. companies, with a total value in excess of $55 billion. These numbers are the latest in a trend that suggests the United States is now more subject to the direction of other nations and their businesses. The country's standard of living continues to decline relative to that of our trading partners. The continued weakness of U.S. business and drop in the value of the dollar seem to be creating the “fire sale on America” that Senator Lloyd Bentsen warned of during the 1988 presidential campaign. As a nation, we are importing (buying) more than we are exporting (earning). As a consequence, we are selling U.S. business assets to finance our current consumer imports.

As the foremost gossip in Ambridge, Susan Carter can lay claim to being the most powerful character in The Archers. Ridiculed for her social aspirations, Susan is bolstered by her proximity to the world of privilege through her son’s marriage to Alice Aldridge and her husband’s status as chairman of the parish council. Within the village, Susan is both feared and ridiculed, giving her an ambivalent status in the narrative, yet she is pivotal in her role at the heart of the ‘information superhighway’ of gossip within the community. Her role is tantamount to that of a Greek chorus, commenting on and judging the actions of her acquaintances, her position aided by her job as manager of the village shop, at the heart of village dealings. This chapter situates Susan within the tradition of gossips in British popular culture, exploring discourses centring on middle-aged femininities and working-class cultures. I will examine how Susan’s character is informed by the comic tradition of the unruly working-class matriarch, who is both strong and powerful, yet whose excessive talk reinforces the social divide that she longs to overcome.

The introduction of female writers to The Archers in 1975 brought a new perspective to the programme, revitalising its profile and cementing its place in the British psyche. This ‘feminisation’ of the programme was an important turning point for the women of Ambridge with increasing focus on issues important to them. This chapter argues that until this time storylines had tended to position women in the background of farming life, their identities shaped solely in terms of their relationships with the men of the village, as homemakers, carers and love-interests. The new band of female writers meant that the women of Ambridge were able to emerge as fully-rounded characters in their own right, as professionals, farmers, business women and matriarchs, at the forefront of village life. It goes on to discuss the character and function of Susan Carter, from the writer's perspective of both a research psychologist and the actor who plays Susan. It is argued that Susan utilises gossip not only as a tool with which to create interpersonal alliances and cement friendships but also to enhance her damaged self-worth and increase her status and power as a fount of all Ambridge knowledge.

Susan Martin identified in 1986 three factors responsible for a dramatic change in automated networking environment; the first of which was the use of microcomputers, which enable libraries to accomplish locally, what once could be achieved only by joining with others. Microcomputers are used either in a stand‐alone mode or in connection with mainframes. There are no longer microcomputers for small libraries and mainframes (or minis) for large libraries; both use microcomputers. But we can wonder if there is not an automation configuration for poor libraries with stand‐alone functions on microcomputers, and another for wealthy libraries integrating functions in a total information system.

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.