Report on the First International Conference on Bibliographic Access in Europe

The First International Conference on Bibliographic Access in Europe attracted delegates from twenty-seven countries to the University of Bath in September 1989. The conference is the successor to the earlier conferences 'Online Public Access to Library Files' which were held at the same location in 1983, 1985 and 1987. The changed focus of the conference reflected Philip Bryant's, (Director of the Centre for Bibliographic Management at Bath) view that a lot had been written about OPACs and that they ought to be viewed in the wider context of bibliographic access, which in turn was now an international issue. The decision to focus on Europe was timely, given moves towards greater integration within the European Community. The international nature of the gathering was emphasised by the provision of simultaneous translation between English, French and German, and papers presented by speakers from more than ten countries. The major themes of the conference were the role of networks and CD-ROMs in providing bibliographic access, and standards associated with both the contents of records and their transfer.