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| Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, January 29 2013 @ 06:16 PM EST |
Someone made a comment that has since vanished, about the right to
access information that has been publicly funded. Librarians often have
ways to to do this bypassing the normal controls. Librarians have an
Old Boys Network (and yes that's Boys of all genders and all ages)
where they can arrange out of circuit document exchange. Maybe it
shouldn't have to happen this way, it just does.
The University I previously worked at allowed open access to JSTOR
and several thousand other journals, to faculty staff and to
post-grad students. Undergrads had to present themselves at
a Library desk computer to get access after they had been judged
fit and proper persons. Any member of the public could also come
to the Library for similar access. The librarians simply exercised
their traditional role as gatekeepers to knowledge.
MIT may be unusual in allowing free access to any computer on their
network. Swartz' attempts to bypass JSTOR's T&C were I believe
a violation of the trust MIT's librarians had in him, and I suggest
is one reason why MIT were reluctant to drop the case. Sure, it's
only a civil small claims matter, not a Federal Crime, but still
a tort.
[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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