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First of all, I must apologise for the interval between this VINE and the last. Unfortunately VINE's production cycle is growing longer as automated library systems become more complex, and consequently more time‐consuming to write up. Moreover, in this issue I have attempted in certain articles, for instance those on COM bureaux and the Telepen, to adopt a thematic approach to the subject, rather than reporting on individual projects. The process of cross‐checking the details of such articles with all the organisations concerned has been partly responsible for the delay in publishing VINE 17. Nevertheless in the long terms I still hope to increase the frequency with which VINE is published, thereby increasing its currency and decreasing the size of each individual issue.

The nature and purpose of the catalogue has been the focus of considerable and vigorous debate during the past decade. This article attempts to identify those topics which have been the most significant causes of the debate and discusses: the need for catalogues; users and non‐users; the nature of the bibliographic record and catalogue entry; the development of UK and LC MARC; standards, including exchange formats, the development of the ISBD, and the concept of UBC (Universal Bibliographic Control); the Anglo‐American Cataloguing Rules and the controversy over the implementation of AACR2; COM catalogues; subsets of the MARC record; co‐operatives, networks and resource sharing; and the development of subject access methods better suited to COM and online catalogues. The relevance of catalogue research activities at Bath University and elsewhere is highlighted.

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 the 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 for 1981 for VINE is £20 for UK subscribers and £23 for overseas subscribers — subscription year runs from January to December.

This afternoon I want to look at three major problems which must be faced by any library attempting to design an automation system that utilises MARC records. The problems are:

The current library bibliographic infrastructure was constructed in the early days of computers – before the Web, XML, and a variety of other technological advances that now offer new opportunities. General requirements of a modern metadata infrastructure for libraries are identified, including such qualities as versatility, extensibility, granularity, and openness. A new kind of metadata infrastructure is then proposed that exhibits at least some of those qualities. Some key challenges that must be overcome to implement a change of this magnitude are identified.

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 U.K. library automation which has not been reported elsewhere.

The size of the LC MARC database and requisite indexes is discussed. The “old” MINI MARC system that provided inhouse access to this database is described and illustrated. This system has now been replaced with one using two 12‐inch laserdisc players. The characteristics and advantages of this “new” system are reviewed, as is the process for developing the laserdisc database.

The Malaysian MARC (MALMARC) Project, which is one of five cooperative programmes involving the five university libraries and the National Library of Malaysia, constitutes one of the components of the developing Malaysian Research Library Network. The Project began in October 1977 as an experiment as a result of a feasibility study, and became an operational system in July 1979. During the experimental period, costing studies were undertaken and these revealed that for all the participating institutions, an automated cataloguing system was cheaper than the manual system. The MALMARC system is currently being operated by the MALMARC Coordinating Centre at the Universiti Sains Malaysia. Details of the system together with flowcharts are provided. The human and technical problems encountered are also discussed and this article concludes with a brief outline of future developments.

The Research Libraries Group, Inc., a partnership of U.S. research institutions, operates and is expanding a computerized bibliographic and technical processing network called the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN). It is one of four programs currently conducted by RLG. This paper outlines the nature and scope of RLIN through summaries of primary aspects of an operating computer network: hardware environment; software; systems, data bases, and services provided; user training and documentation; costs; governance; and development plans.

For much of its peak popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, women in action films were relegated to the damsel in distress and/or the romantic interest for the male lead. This was particularly evident in action films where women were depicted as being petite and submissive, especially towards the heroic male. Rarely did women occupy the primary focus in action films. Nowadays women are more frequently occupying positions of creative power as producers and actors, and there are some notable examples of progressive female roles in modern film. Female action stars tended to occupy one of two roles, that of what Marc O'Day (2004) labelled ‘action babe’ cinema, using the colloquial and dismissive term ‘babe’ as an indication of the derogatory nature of the female action hero who was often just a supermodel with a gun. However, there has emerged another type of female action star, the tough, aggressive and physically capable female action star, such as Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1992).

Yvonne Tasker coined the term ‘musculinity’ to define this new model of tough women; female action stars who appropriate what are considered traditionally masculine traits (developed muscles, aggression, confidence, leadership skills, bravery). The presence of athletic women in action films, especially when compared to their male counterparts, defies expectations for women, and as such provides a unique example to analyse in terms of gender dynamics. This is especially true of combat sports, where aggression is a feature of the sport and still considered a testosterone-oriented attribute. Indeed, in the 1970s and 1980s, the peak of the male action star, martial arts and associated combat sports provided opportunities for many former athletes to transition into action films. Using Tasker's framework of musculinity, I will examine Haywire (2011) as a notable progression in the representation of female action stars and musculinity. Focusing on a case study of Gina Carano's role in Haywire, and her subsequent career narrative, this chapter highlights how perceptions of masculinity and femininity in both combat sports and action films have previously limited roles for women and how much that has shifted in contemporary filmmaking.