Gateways to Knowledge

Gateways to Knowledge is about change: about suspending and adapting old ideas and rethinking and redefining the missions of the university and the library. Proponents of the gateway concept - which ties together these fifteen essays by scholars, librarians, and academic administrators - envision the library as a point of access to other research resources via technological tools; as a place for teaching; and as a site for services and support where students and faculty can obtain the information they need in the form in which they need it. Struggling to define the library of the future, librarians have too often bolted new technology, programs, and services onto existing library functions. These essays focus instead on how information may be packaged and disseminated in a networked environment, as well as on how to think about the nature and qualities of electronic information.