Peter Brophy sets the scene for the book, by examining the purposes and policy drivers of higher education in the changing environment. While the focus here is mainly on the UK, developments are set in the broader context of international trends. First, the history of the university sector in the UK is traced briefly from its beginnings to the changes currently in train as a consequence of the Higher Education Act 2004; the author observes along the way the recent dislodging of the principle of equality of opportunity as the key policy driver for expansion of the sector by considerations relating to higher education's role in the national economy. The chapter then moves on to consider current issues affecting institutional strategies and professional practice. It is argued that a particularly important issue for librarians in the context of learning and teaching excellence is the need to ensure that their role in this arena is fully recognized and developed, including through appropriate collaborations with other professionals; likewise, the need to embed direct access to information resources into elearning environments. Ending with a brief review of factors that contribute to a scenario of continuous change for the academic librarian, the chapter flags up a number of themes that are discussed in more detail in later chapters of the book.