Abstract
In order to fulfil its central role in the British democratic process Parliament needs information: precise. accurate and sometimes complicated and specialized information over an ever-widening subject area. and which often is required rapidly for the purpose of immediate debate. The House of Commons Library has since 1946 played a major part in the provision of official, politically objective information and research services for the House of Commons and its 635 Members, and the present article outlines some of the more recent developments in these services. Sections on the Library's terms of reference and on its current organization and staffing are followed by consideration of the Parliamentary (or Library) Division and of the Research Division respectively. The author concludes with a personal view on the distinctive role of parliamentary librarianship today within the library profession generally.
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