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Explains the advantages and disadvantages of the various approaches that are now being used in today’s society for group decision making. Groups are everywhere in our society, and learning more about them and how to work better in them can enhance the quality of each person’s life. Explains in detail five of the most widely used techniques: brainstorming, brainwriting, buzz sessions, quality circles, and nominal group technique. Points out the advantages and disadvantages of each approach with a view to reducing failures in implementing techniques as a result of lack of knowledge. The article will be useful for anyone involved in groups, e.g. managers or people wishing to improve their skills.

WE begin a New Year in circumstances far removed from those in which any former year began. We were at war last January, it is true, but the actuality of it had not advanced over our own threshold as it has since done. The history of 1940 from our library viewpoint must await the assessment of more tranquil times, but in the cardinal tests to which libraries have been subjected we are convinced that they have been proven good. Fortunes have varied from the total destruction—except for 20,000 salvaged reference books—of the Gulson Library at Coventry to the loss of some glass or ceilings in other towns, but everywhere there has been remarkable resilience and an attempt, nearly always successful to restart the library service with little or no interruption. And the public has been most appreciative as letters we have seen prove: Richmond even received a congratulatory telegram from a reader. The contrast in this war between the desire for libraries and the continuous spurious economy “council” and “press” attacks upon them in the last one has been a significant social phenomenon.

WE offer our readers good wishes for 1939. We hope that every kind of library may be allowed in peace to pursue its development for the spreading of good reading, to the end that enlightenment and with it wisdom may prevail amongst our millions of readers. We hope too that it will be another year of progress in service, in good and deftly‐employed technique, in the development of the will to make libraries interesting, attractive, useful and indeed inevitable and essential to all men. For librarians we hope it may be a further stage in the promotion of their profession, of growth of their own faith in it, and of increase in the willingness of those who employ librarians in municipalities, counties, colleges and other places to recognize training and service with better pay, prospects and status. We know that appreciation will not give greater willingness to serve; we do know it will give greater happiness.