This article reviews the professional identity of the academic librarian within higher education in the 21st century. It considers the challenges that libraries and library staff face in supporting learning. Massification and technological advancements are two key changes that have signnificantly impacted on library users and library usage. This article will review these developements and will focus in particular on how they have transformed the professional identity of the librarian working in higher education. 'Librarians function in a series of larger enviroments and these enviroments are dealing with a growing number of contexts for information. This article suggests that the concept of librarian as teacher is increasingly strengthening in library discourse and that this role will shape the future professional identity of the librarian working in higher education.