Scientists would like libraries to be comprehensively stocked with the specialized journals that support their investigative work. Conscientious library administrators, while sympathetic to their clients' needs, nevertheless complain that rising costs of science publications, along with space constraints and lack of personnel, frustrate their efforts to accommodate all users. Meanwhile, many publishers, while professing the desire to serve the broadest possible audience, are perceived as pricing their products to maximize profits, thereby putting them out of reach of individuals and smaller institutional subscribers.
A recent article in The Scientist (F. Hoke, "Scientists Press For Boost In Federal Library Funding," Feb. 21, 1994, page 1) noted the formation of a committee of scientists concerned about this issue. They warn that insufficient financial support for libraries is causing a "declining accessibility" of materials that, in time, may threaten their investigations. The committee seems to suggest that an emergency exists, and that the ...
