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Arguably the information professional today faces so many challenges, but at the same time there are equally so many opportunities to innovate, seek out new customers, improve existing services and systems and harness the continuing explosion of information to the organisation's and individual customer's advantage. The converging technologies are offering opportunities which no other generation of information workers has ever been able to even dream of previously. From your own workstation it is possible to link easily and cost effectively into services, systems and information which were previously either not accessible, or not even known.

The Health and Safety Executive in Britain (HSE) has linked with other producers of health and safety databases to develop a CD‐ROM database, OSHROM. OSHROM is produced by SilverPlatter and the paper includes a sample search and retrieved reference. HSE's plans for further CD‐ROM products are outlined.

Much is written on databases, computers, users and information to be found therein, but little (or nothing) on getting a database onto a system commercially. Once a bibliographic database is running well inside an organisation thought should be given to exploiting it and making it available for outside organisations to use. HSELINE is an example. Potential producers are taken through the stages of deciding which system to mount the database on, target audiences, special national or international needs, meeting legal obligations, negotiations with the host system covering royalties, SDI (selective dissemination of information) payments and offline print charges. When all negotiations are completed then the publicity machinery comes in. How to arrange a press launch, press releases and publicity brochures, and further publicity suggestions — exhibition stands, talks, demonstrations and training courses are also covered.

Under the terms of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) was formed on 1st October 1974. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was established on 1st January 1975 as the operating arm of the Commission. The Executive includes six Inspectorates and the Employment Medical Advisory Service (EMAS). The Inspectorates are Agriculture Inspectorate, Alkali and Clean Air Inspectorate, Explosives Inspectorate, Factories Inspectorate, Mines and Quarries Inspectorate and Nuclear Installations Inspectorate. EMAS acts as the medical arm of the Executive and is the channel of medical advice to the Commission and the Inspectorates within the Executive, HSE has a large Information and Advisory Services Branch (DIAS) which includes among other things the Library and Translation Services. The library organization, although integrated on a broad basis, operates in two independent functional areas—services in support of the research laboratories and those to staff in Head Office and field organizations. The Executive carries out a considerable volume of research in its Health and Safety Laboratories (HSL). This paper describes the development of the library services in support of research in HSL. The laboratories, with a total staff of approximately 500, are located at Sheffield, Buxton and Cricklewood (London). Each laboratory has a library, the main one being located in Sheffield.