Derek Law and Lorcan Dempsey outline some of the features of the policy environment which led to the setting up of the influential 'subject gateways' as part of the UK Electronic Libraries Programme (eLib). <a href="/issue25">issue25</a> September 2000 <a href="/category/article-type/feature-article">feature article</a> <a href="/taxonomy/term/210/author-info">derek law</a>, <a href="/taxonomy/term/216/author-info">lorcan dempsey</a> Derek Law threw down the gauntlet to public libraries in a recent issue of Ariadne. Appropriately, an EARL picked it up. Alison Kilgour reports. <a href="/issue5">issue5</a> September 1996 <a href="/category/article-type/regular-column">regular column</a> <a href="/taxonomy/term/197/author-info">alison kilgour</a>, <a href="/taxonomy/term/210/author-info">derek law</a>