ABSTRACT
Technology has brought radical changes to the academic library world. Historically, libraries and librarians functioned as intermediaries in the search for information. Today, Google and other search engines have dramatically changed the information landscape. For the first time, libraries face the reality of competition. Phrases and acronyms such as “business models,” “market share,” and “ROI” are being used to describe library operations. The transformed academic library represents a significant philosophical shift from the days when libraries and librarians held a virtual monopoly as the gatekeepers of information. This transformation is being driven largely by rapidly and continuously changing technology which, in turn, is creating new generations of learners who seek information in ways increasingly different from the past.
