This paper focuses on the responsiveness of libraries to user needs within the context of a changing academic environment. First, the character of the changes in the academic environment and the consequences of them for the relationship between scientific information and users are elaborated. Then, the kinds of responses needed for the adequate support of scientific practices by academic libraries are discussed and illustrated with some experiences from the University Library Twente as follows: responding to changing relationships between scientific information and users; offering remote access; estimating user needs; and supporting users in new contexts. Statements for discussion are presented: (1) in the changing scientific environment, the traditional academic freedom can be restricted by market forces and enlarged by ICT-developments; (2) although users of scientific information become technically increasingly independent of intermediaries, for reasons of efficiency they need new facilities and forms of support offered by, for example, academic libraries; (3) academic libraries are not meant to pull developments in scientific processes--they are expected to develop innovative facilities and forms of support to facilitate the scientific process; (4) adjustments of the supportive role of academic libraries can better be pushed by user needs than by technology; (5) responsiveness to user needs requires continuous observation and monitoring of the information behavior of users--research on, development of and experiments with advanced techniques for doing so are desperately needed; and (6) library staff in academic libraries needs not only professional information skills but also didactic and research skills in order to facilitate and support future scientific processes adequately. (AEF)