When asked to weigh in on what might be the next best thing in educational technology, the author scanned the horizon for the next gizmo or software advance that would eventually grow legs, rise up, and utterly transform the library profession. But what he saw was more about evolution than revolution. Sure, Windows Vista will become Windows 7, USB 2.0 will become USB 3.0, and geekdom will march on, just to a predictably faster drumbeat. Meanwhile, a broader and bleaker brand of change was happening right under his nose; this nation's school system's tech staff was shrinking, licensed software was aging, and support contracts for things like the ILS (integrated library system) had been allowed to lapse. It was as if a school's technology plan had suddenly been condensed into a two-word mandate: save money. That's when the author realized what the next big thing in ed-tech really is: austerity. For many people, it has already settled in and is pretty much running the show. Does crisis--even financial crisis--contain opportunity? The author thinks so, especially for school librarians who have been inspired by leaders like Joyce Valenza to adopt new tools, but who have found that, ultimately, it's tech departments, not library media specialists, that typically call the shots. If one ever felt chained to a tired set of standard software served up mainly through standard desktop computer labs, an extended cash crunch could provide just the shake-up needed to make reinvention happen. Interested in getting back into the loop? Then prepare to help steer change by boning up on the cost-cutting trends presented in this article. These technology trends include virtual desktops, open source software, cloud computing, and notebooks.