ABSTRACT
First, let us be quite clear — we are not biased one way or the other toward free or priced information. We straddle the fence on the fee or free debate until more research has been concluded, and not only via formal (objective) information econometrics or prejudice-laden (subjective) case studies or anecdotes, pro or con. The case for free information can be made on the basis of freedom of information principles, for the public good and delivering public value. Yet the very sector that conducts much of the research into information access and pricing, and writes about the results, namely, the higher education sector, has to date been one of the most restrictive information producers with regard to intellectual property rights (IPR), preferring to publish in expensive academic journals rather than freely on the Web. As Michael Geist argues, “The model certainly proved lucrative for large publishers, yet resulted in the public paying twice for research that it was frequently unable to access” (Geist, 2007).
