The internet and associated digital technologies have revolutionised the options for distributed and collaborative research.

As the practices of scholarship are reshaped by technology, author Christine Borgman analyses the underlying social and policy changes in Scholarship in the Digital Age: Information Infrastructure and the Internet.

This study starts from the premise that scholarship is at a crossroads as the next generation of scholarly infrastructure begins to be developed. The technologies and terminology of the emerging infrastructure are discussed, and current national and international initiatives on that infrastructure outlined.

This provides a solid foundation for a discussion of less tangible aspects: the invisible assumptions underpinning theory and policy frameworks, the nature of information flowing through the technical infrastructure, and the drivers building this content layer.

Scholarly communication can take place over an increasing number of channels and Borgman analyses the implications of this, especially for preserving the scholarly record.

She points up the benefits of previously informal but ultimately beneficial conversations now being preserved as they take place in online discussion or by email.

The evolution of the scholarly communication process is examined under three headings: the legitimisation of scholarship, its dissemination, and access and preservation issues.

With a nod to the current debates over scholarly communication, Borgman sets out a wide-ranging study of the long-term opportunities and threats to scholarship. She takes in business and economic models, intellectual property rights and open access.

She concludes with an assessment of likely future directions for scholarly communications including the need to invest in content, the necessity of balancing local and global technical development, and the creation of modular solutions as we move towards a future where the interests of all stakeholders are in balance.

This book successfully identifies the issues in scholarly communication and analyses the relationships between the technical and social elements. It will be valuable for anyone interested in the emerging scholarly infrastructure.