In his 1975 essay, "Library Resources on Western Europe in the United States: A Critique," Erwin Welsch, social studies bibliographer at the University of Wisconsin, lamented the absence of an organizational structure that would provide for the exchange of ideas, on a regular basis, among librarians and researchers concerned with Western Europe. One result of the lack of a national interaction among faculty members and librarians on any but the local level.. .is a failure to develop a national consciousness among librarians of the current directions of social, scientific and historical research on Western Europe and the demands these will place on the library. As a first priority, Welsch recommended the establishment of a formal organization to provide for professional interaction and exchange of information.