I've read with interest the ongoing debate about whether museums should
 charge researchers to use their libraries.  As that discussion was going
 on this list, I read a posting on another about changing the pricing
 structure for the Internet and charging for usage.  Here's an observation,
 for whatever it's worth.
 
 I think we're dealing with a larger sociological issue: is information
 going to be provided free of charge in the information age?  In the past, when
 information was so rare, Society valued information and thought everyone
 had a right to free access.  With so much information now available at
 our fingertips, will we continue to feel this way?  Will paying for
 information help us discern the valuable from the not-so-valuable?
 
 And what about information that's owned and maintained by the
 government?  Should all of it continue to be free?  If not, how do we
 decide what to charge for?  Government-owned museums, it seems, are
 already being brought into the debate.
 
 "
 Saul Carliner
 Information Architect
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