This IMA Volume in Mathematics and its Applications RECENT ADVANCES IN ITERATIVE METHODS is based on the proceedings of a workshop that was an integral part of the 1991-92 IMA program on "Applied Linear Algebra. " Large systems of matrix equations arise frequently in applications and they have the prop­ erty that they are sparse and/or structured. The purpose of this workshop was to bring together researchers in numerical analysis and various ap­ plication areas to discuss where such problems arise and possible meth­ ods of solution. The last two days of the meeting were a celebration dedicated to Gene Golub on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday, with