The raw and the cooked among librarians

This introduction to Library Hi Tech‘s special issue on digital libraries and digital centers is about applying anthropology to library research. The goal is to demonstrate anthropology at work by examining the excellent data provided by the articles in this issue of LHT on the Electronic Library at University of Wisconsin at Madison and the federal model at University of Nevada at Reno (UNR). Three themes are examined, which represent binary tensions that exist in most libraries today: 1) physical metaphors for digital artifacts; 2) professional self‐consciousness within integrative teams; and 3) centripetal administrative solutions to centrifugal service needs. The roles of anthropological theory, ethnography, and ethnology are also discussed as tools to help librarians to see the underlying elements in their work and workplaces.