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Summer is here. Not only have you noticed that the dogwood and irises are in bloom, but you've also tracked the barrage of garden and lawn‐related questions of the past few months:

Explains the background, context and operation of the Cranfield University Library BIODOC Research Project which explores key issues in the access versus journal holdings debate. Hopes to test whether an access model of provision in certain circumstances provides more cost effective and appropriate information support than the traditional in‐house collection. The project involves the cancellation of all the library journal subscriptions for the Biotechnology Centre and their replacement by the UnCover Reveal current contents service and as document supply from a number of sources. Describes the factors such as rising periodical costs, availability of new electronic document delivery services, increasing use of e‐mail by academics that led to the experiment; and the reasons for the selection of the Biotechnology Centre as an appropriate partner. Describes the project management and everyday operation of the project and the design of the project to include data collection for evaluation. Includes consideration of the issue of copyright.

EURILIA, which is part of the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) Libraries Programme, aims to enhance the libraries' research, development and education process which underpins the aerospace sector by establishing a new service based on a standardised pan‐European system for information access, retrieval, image browsing and document delivery. This will, in turn, extend the access and availability of major aerospace collections. The paper outlines work undertaken on the information needs of aerospace engineers and scientists. Also the development of the EURILIA system for OPAC searching and document delivery is described.

Explores how the national aspiration of “universal access” to information compares with what is actually happening in practice. Outlines some of the issues which emerge in the debate over access versus holdings, and presents some data from Cranfield University to shed some light on it.

In a world in which “England's green and pleasant land” sets the standard for garden excellence, gardeners in much of the United States will struggle in vain to adapt the British style to their own volatile climates. American regional gardening literature offers a new vision to help gardeners throughout the United States select plants suited to their climates (especially native plants) and use techniques to prevent losses to cold, heat, humidity, or drought. The resulting gardens may not always resemble the traditional English her baceous border, but their beauty and vigor will enhance the often monotonous American suburban landscape.

Questions whether there is an overall trend towards access rather than local holdings, using a number of SCONUL statistics to support the conclusion reached. Briefly reviews an experiment conducted at Cranfield University in which all printed journal subscriptions were cancelled and enhanced access was provided via the UnCover service. An increase of 166 per cent in interlibrary loans was recorded, resulting in an increase of 30 per cent in total costs, after the savings on journals were taken into account.

President Bill Clinton has had many opponents and enemies, most of whom come from the political right wing. Clinton supporters contend that these opponents, throughout the Clinton presidency, systematically have sought to undermine this president with the goal of bringing down his presidency and running him out of office; and that they have sought non‐electoral means to remove him from office, including Travelgate, the death of Deputy White House Counsel Vincent Foster, the Filegate controversy, and the Monica Lewinsky matter. This bibliography identifies these and other means by presenting citations about these individuals and organizations that have opposed Clinton. The bibliography is divided into five sections: General; “The conspiracy stream of conspiracy commerce”, a White House‐produced “report” presenting its view of a right‐wing conspiracy against the Clinton presidency; Funding; Conservative organizations; and Publishing/media. Many of the annotations note the links among these key players.

This chapter explores how virtual reality (VR) distinguishes itself in terms of immersion within the field of video games. Central to this inquiry is whether VR represents a revolutionary new gaming paradigm or merely the latest medium falling short of gamers’ expectations. The discussion begins by examining the concepts of immersion and presence, highlighting their overlapping properties and how VR's capability to merge perspective and interaction enhances these experiences. Immersion involves sensory stimulation, narrative attachment and player agency within virtual environments (VEs), while presence is defined as the sensation of inhabiting a virtual universe. The chapter addresses VEs, diegesis and fictional worlds, building on the narratology and ludology debate. It chapter assesses the roles of environmental storytelling and the world inhabiting effect in games, particularly open-world role-playing games set in fantasy and science fiction universes. These games offer players active participation in narrative construction, enhancing immersion. Furthermore, the analysis compares third-person and first-person points of view (POV) in flat-screen games with VR's unique integration of POV, point of action and point of interaction. VR's intuitive interface fosters a profound emotional response and a heightened sense of presence, breaking the fourth wall and blurring the line between gameworld and reality. This chapter concludes that while VR offers a distinct form of representation, it does not constitute a new gaming paradigm yet. However, advancements in the medium may soon bring VR closer to the immersive experiences envisioned by Janet Murray's holodeck.

To examine the effects of technical developments on demand for traditional enquiry services in the House of Commons Library.

Trends in enquiry load are matched against technical advances, especially in the area of user self‐service, using published and unpublished reports.

The growth of resources delivered via the Parliamentary intranet, and the provision of suitable and convenient retrieval equipment, have enabled the end‐user and significantly reduced demands on traditional librarianship and reference skills.

Based on experience of one special library.

Likely to be of use to information practitioners in cognate situations where traditional approaches are being supplanted by technical change.

Case study of an organization adapting to the new realities of an information‐rich corps of users.