Library systems then and now

Juliet Leeves edited the four issues of VINE in 1989. She began her professional career in The British Library where she was involved in the development of MARC‐based services. She subsequently worked at the University of London, developing shared automated systems for the schools and colleges of the federal University. Since becoming freelance in 1983, she has worked for all types of library, primarily advising on the evaluation, selection and installation of library and information systems. She is also the author of several publications on library systems, including the popular “Library systems: a buyers guide”, the most recent version of which is published by LITC as “LIBSYS.UK: a directory of library systems in the United Kingdom”. In this article she reviews some of the developments in library systems over the years.