The University of Cape Town is delighted to host the 2003 IALL Meeting. We have put together a program, which we hope, you will find moving, interesting and thought-provoking, and we hope that you will enjoy your visit to our beautiful city. Librarians from more than 20 countries on five continents have gathered here for a few days, giving us a wonderfully enriching opportunity to learn from each other and to share our wide diversity of experience. We are especially happy to welcome so many African delegates, and pleased that the African venue has enabled the participation of law librarians who struggle to fund trips further abroad.