I have to read so many academic papers right now. This should not have been surprising considering I chose to study at a postgraduate level, but nonetheless I have been quite intimidated by the sheer quantity of literature I'm expected to read, analyse and process - and I only study part time. Most of these papers are very interesting and have very clear impacts or connections on the real world, such as papers chronicling how such-and-such university library was remodelled so that other libraries can follow in their footsteps. Because it's all so interesting and useful, it makes me inordinately angry that so much of it is paywalled.
I have effectively infinite access to the world of digitally published journals as a university student, and it seems absolutely absurd that this is a privilege. Especially since the researchers writing these papers are often paid by the government to do so (and by extension paid by taxpayers) why on earth is it all paywalled at exorbitant prices? I can understand this in a world of physical publishing; actual bookbinding and publishing isn't exactly free. But we live in a world where I'm 'publishing' a blog post online for free, and you the reader have the pleasure (or torture) of reading whatever stupid shit I write for free. The cost of website and data hosting is far less than the absurd costs demanded by prestigious publishers such as Nature or Science.
The argument isn't just out of a sense of getting value for money. I also genuinely believe people WANT access to academic papers. I'm not saying I've illegally shared downloaded copies of papers to friends who wanted the answer to a complicated question, or simply because they find the topic interesting. I'm definitely not saying that. I love being a law abiding citizen. :)
This all came to the forefront of my mind because my current assigned readings are about digital literacy and how information professionals can encourage, teach and embody it. It seems to me that a good first step would be making scientific literature free to access, so that people actually know why digital literacy frameworks are the way they are.