Get What You Paid For: “Free” Online Research Databases

Via Library Link of the Day, an interesting story: “Push for Open Access to Research.” It’s a small world; read all about it.

A corollary to this Get What You Paid For post is Use What You Paid For. Visit your public library’s web page and look at the databases you have free access to and that would cost you a small fortune to subscribe to individually. For those of us who use the public libraries in Washington County or Multnomah County, remember that we have access to TWO county’s database collections. You just need to get yourself a library card from a public library in each county. Even if you don’t live in either of these counties, you can buy access, i.e. a library card, for $70/year. If that’s not a bargain, especially for students, researchers, writers, small businesses, and others, I don’t know what is.