The First Asilomar Conference on Electron- and Photon-Molecule Collisions was held August 1-4, 1978 in Pacific Grove, California. This meeting brought together forty scientists who are actively involved in theoretical studies of electron scattering by, and photoionization of, small molecules. In this volume, are collected the contributions of the invited speakers, as well as the roundtable and evening discussions condensed from taped recordings of the entire proceedings. The subject matter reflects current activity in the field and describes many of the techniques that are being developed and applied to molecular collision problems. We would like to thank the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) for providing the financial support that made this conference possible. Special thanks are due to Dr. Robert Junker of ONR and Dr. Ralph Kelley of AFOSR for the interest and encouragement they provided in all phases of this meeting. We also thank all the participants whose efforts and contributions made this conference a success. Finally, we thank Ms. Charlotte MacNaughton and Ms. Sara Jackson for the many hours they spent transcribing tapes and preparing this volume for publication.