Current methods of distributing scientific information have caused critical hardship to research workers in most countries of the world. Quality scientific information is being produced, but only a tiny fraction of the potential users can afford to buy and use this information.
In Romania, for example, the only complete collection of Chemical Abstracts exists in the capital city, Bucharest, although universities and chemical research institutes are located in five other cities. The Houben-Weyl Methoden der organischen Chemie, important for any research in chemical synthesis, has more than 50 volumes with each volume priced at approximately US $2000. Recent volumes are practically unavailable in many countries, and many libraries have stopped subscribing to the well-known Gmelin and Beilstein series as well.