Taken together these developments have begun to raise the profile of information and library services in the UK and their role in the emerging UK information society. The first decade of the new millennium promises to be a significant period for the continued development of the UK's information and library services. The first edition of this booklet was commissioned by the British Library and published by the British Council in August 1987, as a contribution to the British effort for IFLA '87, held in Brighton, England. Two revised editions followed and, in 1998, the British Library, the Library and Information Commission, the Library Association and the British Council co-operated to provide a new edition of the booklet for the British Pavilion at IFLA 1998, in Amsterdam. This edition has been prepared for IFLA 1999 in Bangkok and is designed to provide a brief description of the current library and information scene in the UK for those from all parts of the world.
Libraries are now about to experience the most radical change they have ever undergone.
The process will be spearheaded and driven by the Government's commitment to develop the public libraries' IT network. Libraries will continue, quite rightly, to fulfil their traditional functions as places for obtaining books and other materials. But, by exploiting the opportunities presented by digital technology, they will now be able to do much more besides. The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for educational and cultural relations. Registered in England as a Charity.