Abstract
A brief review of the UK agricultural industry and the organisations which support it is given. The increasing use of computers, large and small, to assist in all aspects of scientific and technical information (STI) and library work in organiza tions of all kinds and sizes is discussed, with examples. The move beyond on-line bibliographic literature searches to those involving specialist factual databanks and the link with word processing to provide indexes to in-house reports is included. The differing needs of small and large organizations, and those with several office locations are considered. The problem of software packages' (lack of) robustness and comprehensiveness together with their specificity which prevents easy data transfer between computers or over networks is highlighted. The possi bilities of videotex as a bridging device for end-users to bypass computing type problems' are discussed, along with the need to keep data secure from unauthorised users. It is argued that the opportunity for total integration of information services in an organization, beyond traditional STI and library areas, with the help of computers, should now be taken.
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