Endless Hybrids refer to the infinite creation of knowledge that arises out of primary and secondary sources. Access to these materials allow for the critical analysis and development of new theories and ways of understanding. The phrase endless hybrids is from new media theorist Lev Manovich who sees the database as the center of the creative process.

Decades of organizational processes, protocols, and standards have been developed to support print-based scholarship. Significant efforts have gone into establishing online databases and electronic journals. Serious discussions are taking place about digital preservation However, in 2005 we are still in the early days of digital scholarship. The most effective techniques for integrating digital audio, video, images, and text remain to be developed.

As an analogy, it’s like the early days of making movies before sound or, perhaps, even before anyone thought of panning the camera. Academic communities have a lot to learn about crafting scholarship out of digital media. With the nature of technology, this journey of exploring and discovering how to convey scholarship through a medium other than print will never end.

Not all the issues are technological. In fact, those may turn out to be the easiest to solve. Copyright and intellectual property rights can present barriers to the potential creation of new forms of artistry and knowledge that is expressed digitally. Law professor Lawrence Lessig, who advocates for flexibility in copyright, coined the term “remix culture” as a means of describing a social environment that is becoming pervasive in the 21st century. The remix culture embraces creativity through digital media in the same ways that previous generations fostered creativity through more traditional instruments, such as pen and paper.

But just as accepted methods of citations, footnotes, and quotations have been developed for re-purposing textual content to support print-based scholarship, it’s expected that practices that respect author and publisher rights eventually will be recognized and standardized for re-purposing multimedia content in support of digital-based scholarship. In fact, a key factor in creative expression through digital media is not with attribution but with legalistic controls over the uses of artistic and intellectual content.

The biggest challenge facing the academy may very well be the pragmatic problem of having sufficient staffing and finances needed for supporting the technology-driven needs of the upcoming generation of scholars. Intellectuals who grew up with videogames and the ubiquitous Internet will have a high set of expectations for higher education. Young scholars, because of their proximity to the technology, will suggest digital services that are yet to be dreamed. Implementing new services without overstraining existing ones require careful planning and oversight by the leadership and management teams of libraries and academic technology centers.

Whether they realize it or not, academic librarians already are in the busines of supporting the endless hybrids of intellectual creativity that grow out of the remix culture, which - in examination - is just a variation on scholarly communication.