Scholarly publishing and its procedures have evolved rapidly, forcefully, and incredibly. Technical advances in the production and promotion of science content have dramatically augmented the visibility and reach, deepened the impact and intensified the thrust of science journal content. These changes range from checking text on perforated tapes to pit stop; from hot metal types to CTP; and from Gutenberg to colour digital printers. Intrinsic and inextricable to this revolutionary aspect of evolution in scholarly publishing is the evolution of library services in astronomy which catapulted library resources from preprints on shelves to customised digital repositories and from communicating observational data through postal telegrams to Tablets. What impact does this unique blend of revolutionary advances have on science and society, what are the consequent challenges, and what are the opportunities that can metamorphose from challenges inherent in the power and potential of the ‘published word’?

The perspectives expressed in this paper stem from learning experiences of the authors at the Indian Academy of Sciences, publishers of ten science journals including the Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy, and at the Raman Research Institute Library (in which Astronomy is one of the core subjects for research)