What is IDentity Provider (IDP)

The world is hungry for knowledge and quickly-producing researchers of varying caliber who are less dependent on the physical space than ever before. This presents a number of challenges to librarians, out of which issues related to technology stand out prominently. How can the library pave roads to curated digital content and make it easily accessible from any location? How does it remain relevant in the age of Google, sophisticated piracy and the open access movement? The chapter begins with an overview of IP-based and federated access technologies, touching on less-used methods as well. Personally-conducted interviews with library industry experts aim to determine current trends in order to provide a collective insight into future developments. These include the widespread migration towards cloud-based services, the global RA21 initiative, the open access movement, the need for better statistics, and new ways of content delivery, all of which affect libraries' demands for remote access in different ways.