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This paper describes the three main phases of automation at the National Library of Scotland. During Phase I (1978–85) NLS was a member of the British Library's Local Cataloguing Service (LOCAS), submitting forms for keypunching prior to the production of a COM catalogue. During Phase II (1985—87) data was input online to the computer at NLS and then was transmitted to LOCAS. The use of the VTLS (Virginia Tech Library System) systems forms Phase III (1988—). The current applications, cataloguing (including downloading and authority control) and use of OPAC are discussed along with systems information. Future plans for automation in NLS are listed.

The key roles of national libraries in terms of acquisition, retention, preservation and providing access to materials are considered, first of all in terms of printed materials and then in terms of electronic materials. The current situation regarding the legal deposit of electronic materials in selected countries, including the UK, is discussed. The automation history of the National Library of Scotland, founded in 1925 but with a history dating back to the 1680s, is outlined and current initiatives, internal as well as external, towards the development of a hybrid library are described. The importance of collaboration in meeting the challenges is emphasised.

This paper discusses cross‐sectoral collaboration in procuring and implementing a new library management system. After a historical review of collaboration in this area in the UK and other countries, it focuses on the joint purchase of the Voyager system (supplied by Endeavor Information Systems Inc.) by Edinburgh University and the National Library of Scotland. The differing missions and automation histories of the two institutions are discussed, followed by a practical summary of the procurement and implementation processes. The theoretical and practical advantages and disadvantages of this form of collaborative approach between academic and government organisations are described.

Today, VTLS is a comprehensive, integrated solution to the automation requirements of academic, public, and special libraries around the world. No two libraries are alike; no two regions are alike. VTLS recognizes these differences and offers libraries the flexibility of numerous options to configure the system that best meets their functional and financial needs.

During a period of five years (1989–1993) all academic libraries in Finland (20 institutions) will install the same local library system and will be connected with each other through the Finnish academic data communication network FUNET. The software uses Hewlett Packard 3000 series' computers and has been developed by the US company VTLS Inc. This library network LINNEA will also include an auxiliary central system with a union catalogue, and various authority files as well as some other functions for the whole network. The selection process and the adaptation of the software has been carried out by the Automation Unit of Finnish Research Libraries which also assists individual libraries in installing the software.

Many of the difficulties that have been experienced by Health Authorities in this country in the examination of imported butcher's “offal”—using the term “offal” in its trade sense—would seem to have been due to injudicious methods of packing on the other side. The organs that constitute “offal”—livers, plucks, kidneys, sweetbreads, and so forth—have hitherto been closely packed into a bag, box, or crate, and the whole mass then frozen hard. Hence on arrival at the port of inspection the separate examination of these organs for possible disease conditions was rendered a matter of extreme difficulty. The exporters have now, it appears, almost all arranged for the separate freezing of the larger organs before packing, and in the case of smaller organs, such as kidneys and sweetbreads, some packers now make use of shallow boxes.

Life studies are a rich source for further research on the role of the Afro‐American woman in society. They are especially useful to gain a better understanding of the Afro‐American experience and to show the joys, sorrows, needs, and ideals of the Afro‐American woman as she struggles from day to day.

The management of children′s literature is a search for value and suitability. Effective policies in library and educational work are based firmly on knowledge of materials, and on the bibliographical and critical frame within which the materials appear and might best be selected. Boundaries, like those between quality and popular books, and between children′s and adult materials, present important challenges for selection, and implicit in this process are professional acumen and judgement. Yet also there are attitudes and systems of values, which can powerfully influence selection on grounds of morality and good taste. To guard against undue subjectivity, the knowledge frame should acknowledge the relevance of social and experiential context for all reading materials, how readers think as well as how they read, and what explicit and implicit agendas the authors have. The good professional takes all these factors on board.