According to Edward L. Ayers, Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia:

"Librarians have been the real heroes of the digital revolution in higher education. They are the ones who have seen the farthest, done the most, accepted the hardest challenges, and demonstrated most clearly the benefits of digital infromation. In the process, they have turned their own field upside down and have revolutionized their professional training. It is testimony to their success that we take their achievement--and their information-management systems--for granted."

From:
Ayers, Edward L. (2004). "The Academic Culture & the IT Culture: Their Effect on Teaching and Scholarship." Educause Review 39(6): 48-62. Available online at http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0462.pdf.