This work investigates how the emergence and integration of the internet fundamentally altered the delivery, methodology, and scope of reference and information services within libraries. Linda S. Katz, an experienced professional in library administration, synthesizes observations from the transition period of digital adoption. The text argues that the internet shifted the librarian's role from a gatekeeper of physical collections to a facilitator of networked information access, requiring new technical competencies and service models.

Experts in library and information science identify this text as a historical snapshot of the digital shift in reference librarianship. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a foundational reference for understanding the early institutional challenges of the internet era.