Based on interviews and correspondence conducted during 1981, this report describes British library and book trade plans for expansion of their internal order processing systems to include the eventual exchange of data through the use of telecommunications. Comparisons are made between the situation in England and the United States. The report begins with a glossary of terms and a review of the literature on publishing, library acquisitions, and electronic data transfer. Information is presented on automation of the library acquisitions functions, the views of librarians on automated acquisitions, and the development of acquisitions systems among library cooperatives (networks). A list of librarians' requirements for automated acquisitions is also provided. A discussion follows of the present levels of automation among library suppliers, retail booksellers, and publishers; the bookseller response to library requirements for electronic interchange of data; and tradewide cooperation on machine readable codes and Teleordering, an automated system currently used by British booksellers. A final section of the report examines problems in developing library/bookseller systems and presents short-term and long-term forecasts for this market. Appendices comprise a list of persons participating in the study and an extensive bibliography. (Author/ESR)