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We have met to celebrate — and rightly so — the completion of twenty‐one years of the publication of a great journal: twenty‐one years of hard work for more than one of us here tonight — the first Program author will speak to us shortly. Program represents a significant and abiding contribution to the literature of librarianship and occupies, according to my measurement, two feet of library shelf space.

Real‐time, or on‐line computer control of circulation records, is being studied at The Queen's University of Belfast. This paper describes in simple terms the real‐time method of operating a computer and suggests a library model based on this. Two experimental real‐time computer library situa‐tions are described: at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, M. M. Kessler is operating an indexing system which is capable of possible expansion to library catalogue size, while at the IBM Los Gatos Library an experimental ordering and cataloguing system is operating. Plans for the circulation control experiments at Queen's University, Belfast, are presented and discussed. They provide for interrogation of the loan file to provide information about any book on loan, and for automatic recall and reserve routines. The experiments will also include cost analyses.

Purpose ‐ The purpose of this piece is to provide a snapshot of the first issue of Program. Design/methodology/approach ‐ This is a reproduction of a historical document, the first issue of the news sheet. Findings ‐ Program was published to assist librarians in learning what was possible in the field of computing use in libraries and to provide a forum for discussion of the problems involved. Originality/value ‐ The piece provides a useful historical document.

Mr Maidment has been telling us about the use of a computer to control circulation routines in one public library system. Now I want to talk on a slightly more general level and discuss the progress that is being made in three British university libraries in using computers for routine housekeeping operations. I also want to tell you about an ICT users' group which is preparing a set of ‘package’ systems for libraries. But first I want to make a few comments on the place of a computer in a university today.

Since the publication of the report of our work in Program No. 1, several librarians have asked to be kept informed of the progress we are making. This second report covers the period between March and September 1966, and deals with changes and developments in the issue system.

Southampton University Library has been considering using either data processing equipment, or the services of a computer, to speed up Library routines for some time. In 1964/5, a sub‐committee of the Library Committee produced a programme for Library development up to 1980, for which I prepared a report on Library uses of both data processing equipment and computers. When we learnt that the University was to have an I.C.T. 1907 computer, the data processing section was omitted from the report.

A survey of some means—mostly photographic or mechanised—of converting a large card catalogue to book form. Details are those calculated for the Main Library catalogues at Birmingham University.

The use of an ICT 1905 computer for the mechanization of library procedures at The City University was considered as part of the library reorganization prior to the acquisition of University status. In view of the smallness of the library staff and the pressure of work it seemed essential to select an area which would quickly lead to relieving staff of tedious routine work, and at the same time provide useful training in computer applications. There seemed no point in attempting to duplicate exercises which were being currently tackled by larger libraries e.g. cataloguing, and the volume of loans hardly justified mechanization of circulation records at the present time.

A punched card system has been developed in the library of the University of Aston in Birmingham for making selective listings of periodicals according to various criteria. The library of the adjoining College of Commerce has also co‐operated in the project.

This Finding list records the holdings of twenty‐eight libraries in Liverpool, chiefly in departments of the University. It contains 7,600 entries and is printed in octavo format by offset lithography from plates photo‐reduced from computer print‐out. It is now being sold by the University Library for 5/‐, and is proving very popular.