ABSTRACT
In the late 1940s, like most institutions in the UK, libraries of every kind were working hard to recover from the effects of six years of war. Most commodities were in short supply and music libraries were experiencing difficulty obtaining scores and books to repair the ravages of the war years. The decline in librarianship, particularly public libraries, must also be attributed to a deep unease the British have about most aspects of public service. This can be seen to have increased markedly in the past 30 years until we have arrived at a point where public service is regarded at inefficient and costly, and private enterprise as the only sensible alternative. In 1954 the Branch held its first conference in Bristol providing the first major opportunity to meet colleagues and exchange ideas and information. In the 1950s and 1960s the Library Association's attention was focused on education.
