But there is little doubt that Phoenix's practices, like keeping virtually no full-time faculty and stocking no libraries, are spreading and are a source of great worry to many colleges that benefit from tax subsidies yet still struggle financially. Their Plan for the Class of 2000 emphasizes that Wake Forest's academic advantage comes from providing education that is both personal and individual. The plan recognizes that the computer has become a basic tool of scholars hip and a communications device suited to the nomadic lifestyle of students. The Plan for the Class of 2000 seeks to merge technology and Wake Forest's traditions to maximize the quality of student learning. None of us can imagine education without access to the library.
Libraries serve as collections of history, culture and insight, offering access to information.
However, the library of the future will be different than the site-specific facilities to wh ich we are accustomed. Suzanne Thorin and Virginia Sorkin provide a view to the promise and problems surrounding the library of the future. Issues of content, cost, intellectual property rights and competition are among the problems. The promise is clearly illustrated by examples of work at the Library of Congress. The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt, Governor of Utah, captures the excitement and complexity of creating a new university for a new generation.