October 8, 1999

Scientific Research and Library Spending

To the Editor:

Lance Sultzbaugh makes some interesting points, not the least of which is his observation that MEDLINE covers "only about 4,000 journals, roughly a fifth of the total number of journals in science and medicine" ("The New Scientific Publishing Wars," Point of View, September 17). But he neglects the central question that has been pondered by information-policy specialists for many years: What is the point of investing billions of dollars in