ABSTRACT
Although the 18-21-year-old undergraduate student's research strategy always has been governed by the "law of least effort," the availability of electronic full text journals has intensified the consequences of this approach. For the small liberal arts college, whose mission is founded upon a dedication to individualized, high quality undergraduate education, this has resulted in increased tensions concerning their highly focused collections; the librarians' ability to play an integral role in the educational process; and relationships with faculty. In addition, the tuition-driven nature of the liberal arts college's existence may cause the library to spend more time and money on being fully "wired" than on focusing the collection on the students' educational needs. This article examines these tensions and looks briefly at what the future may hold.
