Lairds of Learning
George Monbiot’s “The Lairds of Learning” (via HN) is exceedingly important:
But the academic publishers get their articles, their peer reviewing (vetting by other researchers) and even much of their editing for free. The material they publish was commissioned and funded not by them but by us, through government research grants and academic stipends. But to see it, we must pay again, and through the nose.
As a future dentist, I don’t actually know how I will stay up-to-date without access to the hundreds of specialty journals available at the U of M. Without institutional access, it costs too much to stay abreast of the current research. As a result, one’s continuing education money goes toward funding established speakers (“Continuing Education” credits) — this is not preferable to getting information first-hand from primary sources.