"The in-depth discussion of the existence and workings of culture collections makes this book unique and invaluable, and one can recommend it for any biology collection." Choice

• Contributors; Series introduction; Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Resource centres D. L. Hawksworth; 2. Information resources M. I. Krichevsky, B.-O. Fabricius and H. Sugawara; 3. Administration and safety D. L. Hawksworth and K. Allner; 4. Culture and preservation D. Smith; 5. Identification D. L. Hawksworth; 6. Patent protection for biotechnological inventions I. J. Bousfield; 7. Culture collection services D. Allsopp and F. P. Simione; 8. Organisation of resource centres B. E. Kirsop and E. J. DaSilva; Appendix: media A. H. S. Onions and J. I. Pitt; References; Index.