Abstract
As players in the delivery of services and online information, libraries are in the best position to use staff expertise and the technology they have developed to foster community awareness of social, professional and commercial interactions on the internet. Historically, libraries have been progressive institutions, undertaking constant reassessment to stay relevant. As clients become used to the nuances of virtual transactions and the technology for participation on the internet becomes widely available, the provision of value-added services, such as virtual reference, e-reserves and WiFi networking further contribute to transactions and services traditionally provided by institutions such as libraries. These services and transactions use business models to justify funding and ongoing support. It can be argued that libraries must keep abreast of new models of e-commerce to provide relevant services and develop input where necessary, to predict changes and suitably adapt their way of interacting online or doing business, whether it is free, fee-for-service or cost-recovery. Such is the competitive nature of the World Wide Web that libraries are being challenged to justify their existence and budgets against this context. By using e-commerce models, for example, the buying and selling of information, products and services via the internet, and developing new models, libraries are well placed to promote their own successful futures.