An e-book with articles by beginners? Can there be good research articles from authors who just left school? Yes, there can. Young professionals bring fresh ideas and new ways of looking at things. Their articles come less from working practice than from contemporary theory and funded research. Their references lists are broad and unusually long. They have just spent years studying with some of the best scholars in the field.

We were eager to find out what kind of topics our future professionals are interested in and how they deal with them. The young professionals in this issue were asked to write based on recommendations from noted researchers and library leaders. They were not chosen for particular methods or topics, and yet their choice of method and topic is one of the most interesting results. Much of the research has a strong anthropological flavor (something that Michael Seadle, editor of Library Hi Tech, has long advocated) and many of the topics explore beyond traditional library walls into virtual spaces or international places.