Universities and colleges of higher education in the United Kingdom are subject to ever more rapid change. In the four years since this book was first published, the higher education landscape has evolved further, with new legislation and significant changes to the relationships between institutions and their students. There is increasing pressure to concentrate research in centres of international excellence. Additionally, academic libraries need to respond to the challenges and opportunities of developing technologies in learning and research practice in order to offer their users a fully integrated and leading- edge service. This authoritative and wide-ranging textbook provides a comprehensive overview of the changing functions of higher education libraries and the organizational cultures in which they operate. It offers an assessment of the impact of such changes on service delivery from both provider and user perspectives, and considers the future role of the academic library. The second edition has been completely updated, with a new chapter on performance measurement and more extensive coverage of: accessibility; information literacy; portals; digital libraries; copyright; institutional repositories; virtual and managed learning environments; and management of change. This textbook is an indispensable introduction to the range of issues facing academic libraries for students and new professionals. It also makes stimulating reading for education administrators and academic library managers in both higher and further education.