This volume is concerned with providing a cross-view of library automation developments in the Orient and throughout Southeast Asia. The first part provides an overview of computer and information developments in Southeast Asia which relate to library services. Various aspects of regional cooperation are described, and the advancement of communication technologies and information transfer is outlined, explaining the role played by UNESCO, the International Council of Scientific Unions, and the Asian Institute of Technology. This section also includes the outline of a course taught at Chulalongkorn University on the mechanization of library and information services. Part 2 reports on the experiments in computer-based systems in Indonesia. A listing of the periodical subscriptions of the Indonesian National Scientific Documentation Center was chosen as the subject of the experiment reported. The third part provides a comprehensive overview of computer applications in the libraries of Japan, focusing primarily on university libraries. Part 4 seeks to outline the progress being made by libraries in Hong Kong, and part 5 is a summary listing of the various activities underway in this entire region of the world. (Author/SL)