reBlog from Joseph Esposito under: The Scholarly Kitchen

I found this fascinating quote today:

Yes, yes, of course I have a library card, but that card is to my hometown public library.  I love our little library, but what I really want is remote access to the digital collections of the University of California,  one of whose campuses is a mere 100 yards from my house.  As I do not have a university affiliation, the only way I can use the digital collections is to go on campus and use a computer within the walls of the library.  This would not be so bad if I were involved with a research project that required me to spend the better part of a day at the library, but for the most part my research needs are one-shot questions — the need to look up a single article from a journal, perhaps, or a desire to check out the etymology of one word in the Oxford English Dictionary.  Remote access would be a godsend — or a Santa-send.Joseph Esposito under, The Scholarly Kitchen, Dec 2009

You should read the whole article.