Collaboratories are laboratories where scientists can work together while they are in distant locations from each other and from key equipment. They have captured the interest both of systems developers and of science funders who wish to optimize the use of rare scientific equipment and expertise. We examine the kind of conceptions that help us best understand the character of working relationships in these scientific collaboratories. Our model considers technologies as Socio-Technical Interaction Networks (STINs). This model provides a rich understanding of the scientific collaboratories, and also a more complete understanding of the conditions and activities that support collaborative work in them.