SCOLMA has now existed twenty-three years. One of its basic aims throughout its existence has been to promote library co-operation in the acquisition of African material.

SCOLMA has achieved much on very slender resources. The Area Specialization Scheme in particular has resulted in much African material being available in this country, which would otherwise have never been collected. Inevitably, it has not been wholly successful, as the participating libraries have had varying degrees of success in their endeavours. This has been due to the inability of some libraries to devote sufficient resources to the project, and the fact that some libraries have attached more importance to it than others for various reasons.

SCOLMA has always understood that priorities can change over the years, and that academic interests in member-libraries’ institutions cannot be expected to remain the same for ever.