The Union Catalogue of Art Books in Edinburgh Libraries is, to the best of my knowledge, the only catalogue of its kind relating specifically to art in this country. It offers a service which other art librarians might be asked to offer, and therefore the experience we in Edinburgh have gained of the advantages and problems associated with a catalogue of this kind may benefit other librarians who might contemplate offering a similar service. The problems we have experienced stem partly, as we shall see, from factors which are intrinsic in such a catalogue, but also partly from the early development of this particular one, and for this reason I propose to start by giving you a brief sketch of its history.