Many of these were focused on particular classes or specialized skills in database searching. The instructional program developed with the History Department has been particularly effective. Beyond the classroom, the library's Web site offers a constantly growing array of invaluable information guides and resources. Except for the use of computer technologies and the emphasis on instruction, something similar to this account of the library could be found in any of the library's annual reports written over the last fifty years. While that position is secure, the conditions for carrying it forward are changing dramatically.
Publishers continue to consolidate into very large firms.
The rapid growth of Elsevier Science exemplifies this trend. While the market is developing at a fast pace, there is much uncertainty about prices. The ease of digital copying and transmission leaves publishers uncertain of their ability to protect their copyrights. For the last 300 years of printing, publishers have depended on the monopolies granted by copyright law to protect their income, while readers have benefited from specific limitations on those monopolies to protect the public interest in intellectual property. It is not clear how best to preserve this balance of interests in the digital realm, but for the foreseeable future that task will be addressed not through copyright law but through individually negotiated contracts, or licenses as they are commonly called.