Despite the old-fashioned view of the academic library as a static institution, libraries can and do change in response to the needs of users and stakeholders. Perhaps the most dramatic shift in services has been the transition from a purely physical to a combination physical/virtual or even virtual-only environment. This article examines how twenty-first-century online academic librarians deliver instruction and reference services to their student body and faculty, and it explores the ramifications for the education of future librarians in U.S. library schools, including the areas of technology, instruction, interpersonal skills, and intellectual property.

Universities expand their online graduate programs daily, which challenges academic librarians to maintain research support and information literacy instruction for the growing number of online students. Performance support offers a scalable solution to the problems of limited time and staffing that academic librarians face. When embedded in the learning management system throughout a course or program, performance support provides point of need research help and scaffolds students' information literacy development. Librarians are able to focus their limited time helping students with their more advanced research needs.

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