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The purpose of this paper is to explore a non-technical overview for leaders and researchers about how to use a communications perspective to better assess, design and use digital health technologies (DHTs) to improve healthcare performance and to encourage more research into implementation and use of these technologies.

Narrative overview, showing through examples the issues and benefits of introducing DHTs for healthcare performance and the insights that communications science brings to their design and use.

Communications research has revealed the many ways in which people communicate in non-verbal ways, and how this can be lost or degraded in digitally mediated forms. These losses are often not recognized, can increase risks to patients and reduce staff satisfaction. Yet digital technologies also contribute to improving healthcare performance and staff morale if skillfully designed and implemented.

Researchers are provided with an introduction to the limitations of the research and to how communications science can contribute to a multidisciplinary research approach to evaluating and assisting the implementation of these technologies to improve healthcare performance.

Using this overview, managers are more able to ask questions about how the new DHTs will affect healthcare and take a stronger role in implementing these technologies to improve performance.

New insights into the use and understanding of DHTs from applying the new multidiscipline of communications science. A situated communications perspective helps to assess how a new technology can complement rather than degrade professional relationships and how safer implementation and use of these technologies can be devised.

It is now forty years since there appeared H. R. Plomer's first volume Dictionary of the booksellers and printers who were at work in England, Scotland and Ireland from 1641 to 1667. This has been followed by additional Bibliographical Society publications covering similarly the years up to 1775. From the short sketches given in this series, indicating changes of imprint and type of work undertaken, scholars working with English books issued before the closing years of the eighteenth century have had great assistance in dating the undated and in determining the colour and calibre of any work before it is consulted.

HIS holidays over, before the individual and strenuous winter work of his library begins, the wise librarian concentrates for a few weeks on the Annual Meeting of the Library Association. This year the event is of unusual character and of great interest. Fifty years of public service on the part of devoted workers are to be commemorated, and there could be no more fitting place for the commemoration than Edinburgh. It is a special meeting, too, in that for the first time for many years the Library Association gathering will take a really international complexion. If some too exacting critics are forward to say that we have invited a very large number of foreign guests to come to hear themselves talk, we may reply that we want to hear them. There is a higher significance in the occasion than may appear on the surface—for an effort is to be made in the direction of international co‐operation. In spite of the excellent work of the various international schools, we are still insular. Now that the seas are open and a trip to America costs little more than one to (say) Italy, we hope that the way grows clearer to an almost universal co‐working amongst libraries. It is overdue. May our overseas guests find a real atmosphere of welcome, hospitality and friendship amongst us this memorable September!

In the matter of food purity and control Hospital Catering Services have been outside the law, a privileged position where the general law of food and drugs have never applied and the modern regulatory control in food hygiene has similarly not applied. In the eyes of the general public hospital catering standards have always been high above the general run of food preparation. As the NHS continued, complaints began gradually to seep out of the closed community, of dirt in the kitchens and prevalent hygiene malpractices. The general standard for most hospitals remained high but there were no means of dealing with the small minority of complaints which disgusted patients and non‐cater‐ing staff, such as insect and rodent infestations, and an increase in the frequency of food poisoning outbreaks.

The Pure Food and Health Society of Great Britain held a conference at the Inns of Court Hotel, Holborn, on May 27. Mr. H. E. MORGAN presided, supported by LORD CAMOYS and Mr. S. F. EDGE. The principal objects of the conference were to discuss (1) the best methods of preventing food frauds and substitutions that are injurious to consumer and honest manufacturer alike; (2) some means of educating the public, preferably by advertisement, so that they can discriminate genuine and good from inferior, worthless, and fraudulent articles.

In his paper presented at last month's annual conference of the Institute of Weights and Measures Administration Mr. J. D. Derbyshire, B.Sc. (Econ.), makes some far‐reaching suggestions for improving the machinery now in use to protect the purchasing public. Under the title “Caveat Venditor” he discusses the present position and outlines possible lines of development for the future. He defines “consumer protection” as “that area of service which aims at guaranteeing the consumer certain recognised or defined standards of quantity or quality in his commercial transactions which he may then use as a basis on which to exercise his personal preferences as a consumer. The machinery which affords this protection is at present variegated in the extreme: some of it national, some of it local, some of it public, some of it private; a confused collection of agencies, as yet showing few signs of co‐ordination and order. Included in this broad category will be found, in addition to the weights and measures service, the sampling and analytical service; the former safeguarding standards of quantity, the latter standards of quality. Within the sampling and analytical service will be found the public analysts, the food and drugs sampling officers, the fertilisers and feeding stuffs inspectors and samplers, and that other, as yet small but growing, band of men and women which, privately or with public backing, seeks to protect and raise quality standards of merchandise at present lying beyond the reach of specific legislative control.”

The forty‐seventh annual report of the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration is included in the recently published Annual Report of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare for 1953. Modern food legislation in Great Britain may be said to have its origins in the series of Acts passed between the years 1860 and 1875, but in spite of the longer history of our legislation this report suggests that U.S. legislation has made greater fundamental progress.

The Engineering, Marine and Welding Exhibition and The Chemical Plant Exhibition opens at Olympia London, on Thursday, 3rd September and remains open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day (except Sunday) until Thursday, 17th September. This exhibition has been held biannually for nearly fifty years (except during the two world wars) and it is sponsored by The British Engineers' Association, Inc., The Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders Ltd. (Marine Section), The British Electrical and Allied Manufacturers' Association Inc., The Institute of Welding, The British Acetylene Association, and The British Chemical Plant Manufacturers' Association. This time there will be more than 500 exhibitors, many of whom will be showing products of interest to our readers and connected in some way with lubrication.

There are so many trade exhibitions held from time to time in and out of London, that the opinion has frequently been expressed that there are too many of them. The business man is unable to take days off to visit all of them, and must select the ones that he considers will be most profitable to him. Few people interested in motive power plant, oil engines, marine engines, and all their component parts, can fail to profit by a visit to this bi‐annual exhibition. This exhibition always has an atmosphere all its own and one that is pleasing to both exhibitor and visitor. There is no doubt that it will retain this reputation this year, and that a considerable volume of business will be done to increase both home and overseas sales.

The Sacramento (CA) Public Library will upgrade its LIBS 100 system under the terms of an agreement signed with CLSI, Inc. The new configuration includes dual Sequent processors using the UNIX operating system and a completely upgraded data communications network. The two‐phase project is anticipated to cost SPL $2.7 million and will replace an existing system that supports 176 peripherals. Contact CLSI at 320 Nevada Street, Newton ville, MA 02160, 617–965–6310.