No slick answers?—library resources to serve the offshore oil industry

The offshore oil industry is making a profound impact on different parts of the British Isles. It is only three years since Scotland advanced into the oil age with the proving of the Forties field, and a similar process may soon follow around the Celtic Sea area. Many difficult decisions and adjustments have to be made (both onshore and offshore) in the fields of employment, planning, the provision of infrastructure, marine engineering, offshore supply and transport. In such a fast‐moving industry information provision is of paramount importance, but the speed of development makes it all the more difficult to achieve. This paper attempts to aid decision making by showing what information is available in published form, and by discussing some of the available sources of unpublished data. The writer's own attempts to fill some of the information gaps are discussed and some basic acquisitions are recommended for anyone starting to build up a collection on offshore oil.