Purpose: To provide a broad overview of the history of the journal Program: electronic library and information systems and its contents over its first 40 years. Design/methodology/approach: Analysis of content from the original published material, as well as from abstracting and indexing publications and from minutes of Editorial Board meetings. Findings: The publication has grown from modest beginnings as a newsletter for UK university librarians to a respected refereed journal with a wide international readership. Originality/value: An analysis of the content of articles published on computer systems in libraries and information units over the last 40 years.