GREMLIN: a co‐operative local government information service

In mid‐1977 the Greater Manchester Reference & Information Sub‐Group (a working party of librarians representing the ten public library authorities in the county) set out to create an inexpensive but workable local government information service which would be available to any of the local authorities who wished to participate. Of the ten constituent districts, only Stockport had a full‐time local government information officer. One of the main features of Stockport's service was a weekly current awareness bulletin, using input from about a hundred journals. Oldham and Tameside were assisting Stockport by scanning extra journals and providing relevant abstracts and photocopies; in return they were receiving copies of the Stockport bulletin. Tameside staff were using this bulletin to help produce their own irregular information bulletin on a reduced scale and, like Stockport, were supplementing it with a photocopy supply service. Salford had produced independently for two years a fortnightly current awareness bulletin. Provision in the other districts was minimal.