Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explains clearly that science and technology librarians are innovators, and that more often than not their innovations have been successful and are driving the changes that keep libraries of all types relevant to today's students and researchers. The most obvious innovation common to the libraries is the movement to create digital collections, of which MIT's DSpace, described here by Patsy Baudoin and Margret Branschofsky, is the most well known but by no means the only example. These libraries are creating personalized web environments for students and researchers, as well as online communities which provide a virtual home for the users in specific fields to interact with each other, and a secure environment for the archiving of knowledge. JoEllen Broome's article discusses how a small university without a science library can support advanced study in science and technology.