The great information liberation – because everyone wants information to be free

My enduring memory of cell biology lectures in my final year at university are of the lecturer bemoaning the fact that although he had found lots of really good articles that would help us understand the last incomprehensible lecture, the university could not afford them. Research capability and the student experience are being damaged by journal subscription cuts as libraries struggle to manage overstretched budgets in the face of the relentless rise of journal prices. Those who distribute published research findings and debates now dictate policy to those who actually do the research and debating. The long tail is indeed wagging the university dog. The situation is clearly unsustainable. Librarians need to find new ways to help their institutions solve this problem.