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The purpose of mechanisation in libraries is to have basic records in machine readable form so that the processing capabilities of machines can be exploited, (a) to maximise access to and ease of use of the literature, and (b) to help relieve the problems produced in libraries by the ever increasing output of literature.

The Workshop, promoted by the Aslib Computer Applications Group and held within the overall framework of SCOLCAP (Scottish Libraries Cooperative Automation Project), gave invited Scottish librarians an opportunity to discuss the exploitation of computer‐based cataloguing services. Descriptions of the services available from the British Library, Birmingham Libraries Cooperative Mechanisation Project, Oriel Computer Services, Blackwell Bibliographical Services, ICL DILS, and Telecomputing's TeleMARC, were followed by general open discussion and then the discussion of specific topics (input techniques; output techniques; integrated systems; problems of local classification schemes when using MARC records; pre‐publication cataloguing). The report concludes that automation is accepted as beneficial; collaboration can help to cut costs; automation provides an opportunity to define requirements afresh, but new systems should be as flexible as possible.

In his paper to the Aslib conference on Cooperation in Cataloguing David Batty mentions the development of two systems to enable a library to exploit the MARC II format for bibliographic data, including of course the BNB and Library of Congress literature tapes. These systems were (a) at the Fondren Library, Rice University, Texas, and (b) the AMCOS (Aldermaston Mechanised Cataloguing and Ordering System at AWRE which will commence full operational tests in March 1970.

Last month the mechanism of flue‐gas corrosion and methods of assessing it were discussed. Continuing this review the author describes some industrial studies of corrosion by sulphur oxides in industrial appliances; sulphuric acid corrosion in domestic appliances and chimneys, flue‐gas corrosion by chlorine compounds and oxides of nitrogen.

In many information systems, intervening relevance assessments are an accepted operational practice; i.e. documents identified by the system as responses to a question are assessed as either relevant or non‐relevant, and only those judged relevant are forwarded to the user (questioner). It is commonly assumed that subject experts can perform such intervening relevance assessments with a high degree of accuracy. However, much of the literature on relevance indicates the relevance‐assessment process to be highly subjective, and hence a task that should be performed only by the user.

THE HISTORY OF LIBRARIES AND LIBRARIANSHIP has been given both too little and too much attention. That there is a great deal of indifference on the part of many librarians concerning their past, or their original raison d'être, is obvious from the style of many of the articles written in defence of such a knowledge. The greater part of such articles seems to be taken up with explaining that apathy concerning library history is very understandable because modern methods in librarianship are more important; that what happened thousands of years ago in Egypt, or even in Britain in the last century, has very little bearing on modern theory or practice; that modern developments in library science—computers and the like—render the older methods utterly useless. For example, Reichmann says:

VINE is produced at least four times a year with the object of providing up‐to‐date news of work being done in the automation of library housekeeping processes, principally in the UK. It is edited and substantially written by Tony McSean, Information Officer for Library Automation based in Southampton University Library and supported by a grant from the British Library Research and Development Department. Copyright for VINE articles rests with the British Library Board, but opinions expressed in VINE do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the British Library. The subscription to VINE is £17 per annum and the period runs from January to December.

The Fortieth Annual Report of the National Central Library once again records a year of great activity in the various departments of the Library and continued expansion of the resources available by the addition of new names to the list of ‘outlier libraries’ and by wider international contacts.

February WED.4. Aslib Engineering Group. One‐day Conference. Newcastle. Aslib Transport Group/Motor Industries Information Group joint meeting. Plans for a new system of business statistics. Speaker: M. C. Fessey (Business Statistics Office). University of Aston. 2.30 p.m.

VINE is a Very Informal Newsletter produced three times a year by the Information Officer for library Automation and financed by the British library Research & Development Department. It is issued free of charge on request to interested librarians, systems staff and library college lecturers. VINE'S objective is to provide an up‐to‐date picture of work being done in O.K. library automation which has not been reported elsewhere.