Converting my Library from one Mac to a new one

Is there some tutorial that explains how I can get my iTunes Library from an iMac to a new MacBook Pro? My iMac has a CD-burning drive, not a DVD one, so I need a better option.
Can I go from my iMac to an external hard drive, and then from the hard drive to the new MacBook Pro? I was under the impression I had to go to some sort of physical media (CD/DVD) but some people are saying that I can actually use an external hard drive be the 'go-between' here.
My iMac has 10.4.11 (Tiger) but my new MacBook will have Snow Leopard most likely once I buy it. Do I need to have the exact same OS on my iMac as I do on the MacBook in order for this to work, or is that a non-issue?
Thanks!

You can use any media you like to transfer the music from one device to another.
Apple have posted a 'how to' using an iPod as an external hard drive. You can do exactly the same with your external drive.
Here is is :-
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1329
Just follow the instruction from the 'Copy iTunes folder to iPod' section but copy to your external harddrive instead.

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I keep all my music on an external hard drive connected to my laptop at home. I am now spending several months away from home, and couldn't take my external drive with me.
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2- On the iTunes menu, select Advanced/Consolidate Library. This will gather all your media and copy it to the new location (the folder you designated in step 1).
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