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The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumers' motivation to accumulate obsolete items and their reluctance to dispose of material possessions.

The role of attachment to material possession in the construction of consumer identity provides a conceptual framework for the research. A video‐ethnography with eight individuals, who classify themselves as functional hoarders, individuals who accumulate objects privately and are unable to dispose without clear conscious motivation or control, constitute the primary data for this paper.

In investigating the underlying reasons for accumulating objects and resisting dispossession, informants show evidence of being reflective consumers who perceive throwing away as a threat to memory, to security, and to historical and ecological preservation. First, this paper confirms current literature regarding the role of possessions as symbols of interpersonal ties with others and as a cue to past experiences. Second, the paper supports that possessions provide a sense of security to the owner. Finally, this paper reinforces that preserving material objects cultivate a vision for the future. Ultimately, informants' motivations to accumulate, to keep, and to not‐dispose of objects reflects a desire to reassemble the fragments of their temporal experience into a unique space where memories, present, and life projects join together.

The accompanying film gives an opportunity for audience members to personally evaluate hoarding practices and to draw their own conclusion on the dynamic nature of material attachment and consumer identity in terms of past experiences, present orientation, and responsibility for the future.

ELIZABETH, Queen of Roumania between 1881 and her death in 1916, was a writer. For many years she turned out verses and stories purely for her own interest and that of her private circle, but then one day it occurred to her that as what she wrote seemed to go down well with friends and acquaintances, it might reasonably, therefore, be worth publishing. At the same time, though, she did not wish to publish under her own name. What name should she use instead? She wanted it, she said, to be something Latin, as she now belonged to a Latin country, and eventually she fixed upon the combination Carmen Sylva (carmen being the Latin for song, silva for forest), explaining: ‘I began in the woods and found my best songs in roaming through the forests of my home on the Rhine.’ It was certainly one way of choosing a pseudonym.

The new library was opening next day. The branch librarian who was to run it was dashing around, inside the building and elsewhere, on a variety of last minute errands and jobs. I, as the junior, was busy writing tickets, labelling books and so on, at the counter. In front of me, arranging books on the shelves, were the Chairman of the Library Committee and the Chief Librarian himself, no less, mucking in like eager schoolboys. And as the two of them worked they talked. But were they talking about the books they were handling or anything to do with the library itself? No. The remarkable subject of their conversation was the public lavatories at Warwick Castle.

In 1982, according to the Bookseller, there were more than 36,000 new books published in Britain. Of these the vast majority were of course brought out by publishers whose names are well‐known. Of the remaining titles, some will have been published by firms less well‐known, and just a few will have been published directly by their authors. One in the last category was mine.

I SUPPOSE that anyone writing anything on Gilbert and Sullivan ought to begin by stating where he stands in regard to the works of this extraordinary pair. For ‘G. & S.’ is curious. It can perhaps be likened to cricket in that people tend either passionately to love it or as passionately to loathe it; neutrality is encountered relatively seldom. So let me say straight away that I come into the former category. H.M.S. Pinafore and all the other operas in the series have given me enormous pleasure for as long as I can remember, and I hope and believe they will continue to do so in the future.

A WIDE RANGE of further and higher education colleges offer courses to a varied section of the public of mixed ages and abilities. Originally established to provide the vocational and technical training necessary for a new diversity of trades, they offered subjects not within the scope of the established school system. Today, this function is maintained, with considerable expansion in their general educational work, and most offer comprehensive GCE O and A level studies, in a choice of more subjects than available in local schools.

MANY LIBRARIANS collect books. I collect authors' dedications. I find this a fascinating pastime. Skim through any shelf of books that takes you fancy, and you will be surprised how many dedications even so casual a search will reveal. You will be surprised too how varied they can be.

‘The public library is the research library for small firms in the locality. It is the place where administrative and technical workers can go to keep up with their subject and where the answer to many inquiries can be found…. Specialists using the library service can expect to be served by people familiar with their subjects to a fairly high level and knowledgeable in the relevant literature and terminology.’

Although their “best‐by” date (14 December 1990) has passed I can't really avoid some mention of The Library Charges (England and Wales) Regulations 1990. As is usual with government documents of this ilk, it follows a long‐standing tradition of unreadability. (Is this a ploy to discourage comment, one sometimes wonders?) Persevere with it, though, and a number of worrying proposals and implications reveal themselves. These include:

Through this column I will be exploring the field of environmental information and its provision in this country. I will do this by tackling the subject from the user's point of view: each month I will pick a different user (or potential user) group, and discuss resources, services and organisations which can be of use to this group. Just to avoid any charge of repetitiveness, I will occasionally diverge from this pattern to discuss other issues.