  The advent of the Virtual Observatory (VO) concept signals a pradigm shift in
the way astronomy will be done in the era of information abundance and
ubiquitous networking. Small telescopes will be playing a number of essential
roles in this new research environment, probably contributing a major portion
of all data taken in astronomy, both as surveying instruments, and as follow-up
facilities. In this review we describe the VO concept and its background, and
how small telescopes will fit in this emergent way of doing astronomy in the
21st century.
