Library and information services of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

Readers of the current professional literature could be forgiven if they assumed that most library and information operations and services were computerized, and that only mechanized systems were able to cope with present‐day requirements. Perhaps it is right that the literature should concentrate on this rapidly changing and developing subject, but most of the library and information services of scientific research institutions known to the author—which include centres of excellence with worldwide reputations—are non‐mechanized. There are no reliable guidelines as to when it is economic, practical or opportune to switch to mechanized systems, and there are many variable factors to consider. However ‘non‐mechanized’ does not equate with ‘old‐fashioned’, and the present economic climate, with its limits on expenditure and ceilings on staff numbers, makes it likely that manual methods will be employed for many years to come. The following is a description of a non‐mechanized service, catering for the needs of a relatively small local user population, and also providing and offering a variety of services to outside users.