ABSTRACT
The Conspectus offers, by mapping collections, not only a sharing of resources in collection development, but a possible way to determine priorities for retrospective conversion of catalogs and for conservation. The world wide success of the British Library Document Supply Centre, and the success with which Research Libraries Group and Online Computer Library Center in the United States handle the enormous demand for interlibrary loans, is clear proof that resource sharing does work and is necessary. If Conspectus may serve as a map and guide into the relative strengths of collections, their exploitation is highly dependent on the building of compatible networks for communication between our libraries. The two sessions on databases and online communication were valuable in giving both the state of the art picture and a glimpse of what the future could be.
