After decades of relative stasis, library technology underwent transformational changes in the 1980s. Over the course of a few years, the introduction of shared online cataloging, the local online public catalog, and electronic mail changed the way librarians did their work and ushered in a period of technological innovation that continues today. The author offers a first-hand account of the impact of these technologies in the 1980s, when he was a graduate student and early-career music librarian.