C&RL News | Mobile -- Sci-Hub unmasked: Piracy, information policy, and your library

"Academic libraries learned in the summer of 2015 that their expensive Elsevier and Wiley subscriptions were the target of mass copyright infringement by hackers who identified with the Library Genesis Project.1 Hackers took over university accounts, copied journal content, and set up a searchable repository at a website called Sci-Hub—all to ensure that disadvantaged researchers of the world could get access to content they cannot afford. Because many scholarly publishers charge libraries outrageous prices and have profit margins comparable to the most profitable drug companies, one’s first reaction might have been, 'Great! It’s about time those publishers got their comeuppance.' We may have disdain for scholarly publishers who singularly benefit from a warped scholarly communication system that our university faculty and researchers enable. We may champion the egalitarianism of open access, and even sympathize with modern day hackers who want to share information. However, we also recognize that mass infringement is wrong. At the end of the day, it is likely certain publishers will increase subscription costs to account for this infringement (or at least that will be the argument). In this article, we will discuss the relative ease with which hackers can access library content and describe concrete steps that libraries can and should take to limit infringement. We will also consider how we place this issue in a broader context. How do we reconcile our belief in equitable access with our own self-interests and our sympathy with the Robin Hood hackers of the world? ..."