Dunham is the fire science librarian and re f erence librarian at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City Universi ty of New York. Fire science l i terature is diverse. It takes o f f in various directions and appears willfully to resist bibliographic containment . It encompasses the informat ion needs of at least three distinct groups: research engineers and scientists, managers and public administrators, and firefighters. Common to all three groups is an interest in the study of fire; but as users and producers of information~ the three groups come at the study of fire science very dif ferent ly . At one end of the spectrum is an international communi ty of researchers, including engineers, technologists, chemists, biologists, and physicists. Their research may be sponsored by a government or by the private sector. It could take place under the auspices of a consulting f i rm, association, academe, or special investigative committee following a disaster. These potential sources of research support must be kept in mind because they affect possible forms of publication and sources for retrieval of information. The answer to a student's simple question What is the best material for f irefighter 's gloves? or Which sprinkler systems are not advisable for high-rise hotels? may require a sophisticated search through multiple sources, some without indexing, before he or she arrives at an answer based on current research. Unlike other disciplines, the basic principles, techniques, and understanding in fire science are still developing. The second major f ire science group is concerned with questions of management , training, and behavior. In addition to students, this group is comprised of federal and municipal officials, public administrators, f i re chiefs, union officials, psych ~., ologists, and criminal justice professionals pursuing