The topics of the paper are: a brief history of OAI, some  technical things to know about the OAI-PMH and its  potential impact (on the institutional context, the role of the library and the researcher). The primary focus, however, is on the technology.
Speech at the Conference "Open Access to Scientific and Technical Information: State of the Art and Future Trends" (Paris, 23-24 January 2003). The textual version was published with the title 'A brief overview of the OAI Protocol and it's potential impact' in "Information Services and Use", vol. 23 (2003), issue 2-3, p. 103-104.