RE: The value of open access & update to the Dramatic Growth of Open Access

["Rick Anderson" <rickand@unr.edu>]

> Indeed, if one wants to understand issues relating to lack of 
> access, talk to people who lack access, not people who have it. 
> This includes most of us; researchers at major research 
> institutions in the world's wealthiest countries form a very 
> small proportion of the world's population.

Yes, but they form a very large proportion of those with an 
interest in the scientific literature.  Contra Peter, I stand 
firm in the opinion that (all things being equal), universal free 
access to that literature would be a fine thing.  But all things 
are never equal, and the real question is whether universal free 
access would be worth the cost. Given the huge number of people 
who would have no use whatsoever for free access to peer-reviewed 
scientific literature, the cost of giving everyone in the world 
that access strikes me as a highly relevant issue.

---
Rick Anderson
Dir. of Resource Acquisition
University of Nevada, Reno Libraries
rickand@unr.edu