This study examined the effect of enhanced electronic access to information on patterns of scholarly communication. Using a panel typology, the academics at the Australian National University were surveyed in 1991 and again in 1994, with the data collected by means of mailed questionnaires. The research drew on the literature of scholarly communication and information-seeking behaviour. Principles of systems theory were used to explain the changes taking place within the academics' environments, including both the system of scholarly communication and the culture of the three disciplinary groupings: science, social science and the humanities. Three research questions directed the study focussing on the effect of enhanced electronic access to information on the academics' use of the library and on their patterns of information seeking and dissemination. Results found that between 1991 and 1994, while some aspects of communication technologies - such as email - had been almost universally adopted, overall, few changes had taken place in academics' information related behaviour. Scientists were more likely to have adopted the new technologies than social scientists or scholars from the humanities. However, there was strong evidence that a small group of academics were adopting the new technologies with enthusiasm suggesting that the overall pattern of use would change in the future.