Welcome to this, the 40th, edition of The Bowker Annual. This almanac has

evolved and grown over the years, but its intent remains to provide you with a

mix of analysis and practical information on the library and publishing world.

Although there is a natural temptation in these exciting years of technological

innovation to focus on electronic issues and the "Information Superhighway," we

continue to bring you details on everything from legislation, funding, and educa-

tion to average book prices, sales statistics, and best book lists of interest to

every librarian, publisher, and bookseller.

Four of our Special Reports this year focus on library networking and the

impact of new technologies, with contributions on the growth of civic or commu-

nity networks in the United States by R. Kathleen Molz; on the delivery of

library services through campus networks by Judy Montgomery and Katherine

Kott; on library cooperation and networking developments by JoAn S. Segal; and

on the federal national inlormation infrastructure (NII) initiative by Toni Carbo

Bearman and David A. Wallace. You will also find an account of the Library of

Congress s digitization program under the Federal Agency and Federal Library

Reports.

A fifth Special Report, by Prudence Dalrymple, covers library and informa-

tion education from the standpoint of quality assurance.

Along with the customary reports from federal agencies and federal libraries

are two new contributions--from the Government Printing Office and the

National Library of Education.

In addition to the above features, Part 2 brings you news roundups from

Library Journal, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly and accounts of

the Frankfurt Book Fair and of 1994 activities of national library associations and

the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Finally,

Ken Haycock updates us on "Trends and Issues in Library and Information

Services in Canada."

Part 2, Legislation, Funding, and Grants, covers legislation proposed and

enacted during 1994 that is of particular interest to librarians and publishers and

reports on funding and grants programs conducted by the National Endowment

for the Humanities, the Council on Library Resources, and the U.S. Department

of Education.

Part 3 offers professional information for librarians: a guide to employment

sources, statistics on salaries, a list of accredited master s degree programs, and

scholarship sources and award recipients.

Part 4 reports on research taking place in the library field and gathers togeth-

er all the statistics needed to predict library expenditures and justify budgets:

average acquisition expenditures, price indexes, construction costs, prices of