Book excerpt: The organization, functioning, and the role of libraries in university communities continue to change dramatically. While academic research libraries continue to acquire information, organize it, make it available, and preserve it, the critical issues for their management teams in the twenty-first century are to formulate a clear mission and role for their library, particularly as libraries transition to meet the new information needs of their university constituents. Building a Virtual Library addresses these issues by providing insight into the current changes and developments within the area of library science.