This paper reports the results of a postal survey (91% response) of students from the Department of Information Studies, University of Sheffield who were awarded the MSc in Information Studies between 1979 and 1985, inclusive. Re-spondents were asked about their careers and to evaluate the MSc programme. A high proportion (49% if only UK students are included or 44% if overseas students are also included) of the graduates entered industry and commerce as their first destination and only 1% of UK students were 'unknown, unemployed or in temporary employment' (2% if overseas students are included). First posts were likely to be 'traditional' information posts but a substantial proportion of subsequent posts were in less traditional areas of employment (the emerging market). 31% were working in less traditional areas (predominantly information technology) at the time of the survey. 93% of all current UK posts held by these graduates involve computer applications. The survey results show that these science graduates are not typical products of the UK library/information studies schools but are like other science graduates who took advanced courses supported by the Science and Engineering Research Council. The evaluation showed that there was a good degree of satisfaction with the present programme and confirmed the need to continue developing the practical computer applications aspects.

IN this brief paper outlining the new MSc course in Information Studies, I propose to consider five questions:

The Treaties of the European Communities make no explicit provision for the harmonization of qualifications, but there exist a number of provisions in the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community treaties which directly or indirectly lead to it. These provisions are identified, and Commission and Council activities based on them are reported. Finally, some questions are raised in relation to the direction of further activities by the Commission, the profession, and the academic community.

Three statements by Dr R K Appleyard, the Director‐General for Scientific and Technical Information and Information Management at the Commission of the European Communities, set the scene for the Workshop on training users of EURONET, held in Luxembourg on 13th–16th December 1976. ‘Western Europe has made, and continues to make, prolific contributions of human knowledge through discovery and invention. In fundamental scientific research and advanced technological development we are continuously accumulating knowledge and know‐how of vital importance for our long and medium term social economic prospects. In addition, the efficiency of our government and competitivity of our industries today depend, and will do so even more acutely in the future, on the acquisition and easy retrieval of “operational” information’. ‘The purpose of EURONET is to enable managers, administrators, researchers and educators, irrespective of their location relative to where the information they need is stored, to obtain it as cheaply as possible, in good time, and with minimum inconvenience’. And, ‘Why is training and education important in this context? The reason is simple: it is no use building EURONET if there are not going to be any users who can use it effectively …’.

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