NAG was founded in 1970 as an inter-University collaborative venture combining the talents of many globally renowned mathematicians. In 1971 NAG developed its own mathematical software library, the NAG Library, which, over the next four decades, has evolved to become the largest commercially available collection of high quality mathematical and statistical algorithms. NAG's commitment to testing and quality remains steadfast. Alongside the Library, NAG develops the NAG Compiler. NAG's products are expertly and directly supported by NAG's technical team. Universities with other types of computers became interested in the activity, and various machine-range implementations were initiated from Mark 2 of the Library onwards. Hence, the early aims of NAG could be summarised as follows:

• to create a balanced, general-purpose library of algorithms which meets the numerical and statistical needs of computer users;
• to support the Library with documentation giving advice on problem identification, algorithm selection, and routine usage;
• to provide a substantial test suite, including example test programs, for certification of the Library; and
• to implement the Library as widely as user demand required.