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In higher education, translating institutional objectives into meaningful action is a challenging task, particularly given the currency attached to analogies such as the view that managing academics is akin to herding cats, or that teaching in HE is one of the last cottage industries. Yet alignment is becoming increasingly important, as the reports of national inquiries and commissions (e.g. Dearing, West, Boyer) and the pronouncements and plans of governments indicate. The paper examines one illustration of steps that an institution has taken to translate objectives into action.

The candidates for the post of first librarian of the London Library are considered and the circumstances involved in the appointment of John George Cochrane are discussed. Cochrane′s immediate successors are briefly reviewed, as well as the overall staffing of the Library in the mid‐nineteenth century.

This paper concerns the author’s long‐standing friendship with Gordon Pask. It describes several occasions where their lives overlapped significantly, namely working with chemical computers, the founding of the Department of Cybernetics at Brunel University and working together on the design of Joan Littlewood’s Fun Palace project.

IT would be a hard‐hearted man who could speak harshly of the Book Society without some inward pang of regret or remorse. Was there ever a more praiseworthy institution? Or one that set out with a more unselfish desire to improve the minds of humanity? So amiable are its figureheads, so admirable its objects, so harmless and well‐intentioned its activities, that the scoffer is silenced and the cynic rebuked. What cause of complaint can one find in a Selection Committee which contains Hugh Walpole, John Boynton Priestley, Clemence Dane, Sylvia Lynd, and George Gordon?

IF SONS DID NOT EXTOL, many a worthy father would sink into oblivion and forever go unsung. As filial biographers, however, sons customarily meet with intimidating scorn and derision. There is a generally accepted notion that consanguineous biography is fraught more with fealty and filial frailty than with disinterested depiction. The best way to disprove this false assumption is to muster meritorious biographies written by scions and compare them with representative biographies of the ‘blame and blemish’ variety. Sympathetic assessment always stands up stronger than ostensible objectivity, for writers of the ‘warts and all’ kind of biography lose track of virtues and nearly always become engrossed in the imperfections of their victims.

Maps the progress with the introduction of quality (academic) audit and quality assessment in higher education in the UK and discusses issues that have emerged. A future scenario is suggested that would simplify the structures and give greater responsibility for the quality assurance to institutions of higher education.

This policy brief discusses validity and fairness issues that could arise when test-based information is used for making “high stakes” decisions at an individual level, such as, for the certification of teachers or other professionals, or when admitting students into higher education programs and colleges, or for making immigration-related decisions for prospective immigrants. To assist test developers, affiliated researchers and test users enhance levels of validity and fairness with these particular types of test score interpretations and uses, this policy brief summarizes an “argument-based approach” to validation given by Kane.

This policy brief is based on a synthesis of conference proceedings and review of selected pieces of extant literature. To that synthesis, the authors add practitioner-friendly examples with their own analysis of key issues. They conclude by offering recommendations for test developers and test users.

The authors conclude that validity is a complex and evolving construct, especially when considering issues of fairness in individual testing contexts. Kane's argument-based approach offers an accessible framework through which test makers can accumulate evidence to evaluate inferences and arguments related to decisions to be made with test scores. Perspectives of test makers, researchers, test takers and decision-makers must all be incorporated into constructing coherent “validity arguments” to guide the test development and validation processes.

Standardized test use for individual-level decisions is gradually spreading to various regions of the world, but understandings of validity are still uneven among key stakeholders of such testing programs. By translating complex information on test validation, validity and fairness issues with all concerned stakeholders in mind, this policy brief attempts to address the communication gaps noted to exist among these groups by Kane.

IT is fitting that a new series of this magazine should be introduced by some reflections on the whole question of book selection, both for the general public and libraries.

A Joint Committee representing both Houses of Parliament, on July 4th, considered, under the chairmanship of Lord Muir‐Mackenzie, the Food and Drugs (Adulteration) Bill, which embodies in consolidated form the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts. The Bill is the first consolidation of these Acts, which date from 1875. Sir Frederick Liddell, Parliamentary counsel, who was accompanied by Mr. J. N. Beckett, of the Ministry of Health, was examined. He said the language of the sections had been harmonised. It was pointed out by members of the Committee that several things were not included in the consolidating Bill. The Chairman said it was a matter for consideration whether it was not for the Minister to say what were the limits of the proposed consolidations. The Minister was entitled to bring in whatever Bill he thought he would. The witness said he thought the Minister would accept the views of the Committee. Sir Henry Slesser, K.C., said, if there was any difficulty about these things, he would rather have the Bill in its present form. It was pointed out that the matters dealt with in a consolidated form did not include, for instance, horseflesh.—The Chairman said there was an unfortunate ambiguity in some of the old Acts. One or two of these matters were left alone for fear of introducing further ambiguity as to intention when they were being considered by the Courts. “Butter fat” and “milk fat” were considered the same thing, so the Committee adopted the phrase “Butter fat derived from milk.” Bread, tea, coffee, chicory, as well as horseflesh, are not mentioned specifically in the Bill, as these were left over for further consideration. It was suggested that all obsolete statutes should be included in a separate clause of the Bill. It was decided to obtain the views of the Minister on this and other points. Provisions are included in the Bill placing restrictions on mixing food and drugs with other ingredients, and giving protection from liability where articles are properly labelled, and there are restrictions on the importation of agricultural and other produce. One of the schedules makes special provisions as to milk. It is laid down that where a sample of milk is procured from a purveyor of milk, he shall, on being required to do so by the person by whom the sample is taken, state the name and address of the seller or consignor from whom he received the milk.