expect the trend toward participation in larger implementations of library automation infrastructure to continue and accelerate. This year saw the launch of a shared ILS for the largest consortium in North America, that of the Illinois Heartland Library System, serving more than 427 libraries. Strategies for shared national automation infrastructure are underway for the public libraries in Northern Ireland, for most public libraries in Denmark, and for academic libraries in Scotland and Wales. These are just a few examples of a new wave of strategic cooperation.