1.   Retrospective conversion of earlier catalogue records is under way.

2.   Retrospective conversions of printed material into electronic format and the construction of scholarly data resources are not discussed in this volume.

3.   The Archivo General de Indias, the Hartlib Papers, and the Wittgenstein Nachla are examples of retrospective conversion projects involving the development of large data resources.

4.   Retrospective conversions and new resources offer opportunities for scholars, but they do pose problems for librarians.

5.   A coherent strategy for retrospective conversion has not been attempted for the UK and lack of institutional funding for such unglamorous activities has ensured at best a piecemeal approach.

6.   Where systematic retrospective conversion has been undertaken, resulting in a fully converted catalogue, there are still significant problems of interpretation and retrieval.

7.   Mechanisms for selective retrospective conversion of catalogues and the enrichment of catalogues should be sought.