The information most essential for life in the modern world falls under the rubric of scholarly communication: the vast and ever-growing body of words and data produced by scholarly researchers, the majority of whom work in academia. Scholarly communications are fundamental to creating and informing the digital and mechanical tools we use every day, contributing to the world in which we live, advanced healthcare, macro- and micro-economic choices, environmental sustainability, concepts of justice and equity, and a fuller understanding of the human history.

For the last several centuries, there have been three key components to scholarly communication:
- The scholars who conduct the research, gather the data, and record their findings.
- The scholarly publishers who replicate and distribute those findings.
- The academic libraries that provide connection between the fruits of scholarly communications and the researchers, instructors, students, and members of the general public who then use that information to advance learning and make decisions both personal and public.

Focusing on U.S. academic libraries, The Reinvention of the U.S. Academic Library begins by providing a concise history of the traditional role and function of academic libraries from their earliest times up to the dawn of theDigital Age and the spread of digital technology into all aspects of academic research and scholarly communication. This introduction is followed by chapters analyzing how digital technology has transformed, over the course of a few swift decades, not only the role and function of academic libraries, but also the nature of scholarly communication itself.

Specifically, The Reinvention of the U.S. Academic Library will consider how digital technology has changed the way academic libraries:
- Acquire and exercise bibliographic control over collections.
- Provide equitable access to information. Allocate and utilize library space. Instruct and guide students, faculty, and others.
- Relate to the larger academic and scholarly publishing communities. Sustain scholarly communications.