Access to knowledge is one of the foundations of learning.
As such, there may be times when you don't have the time or money to take
a class, hire a tutor, or buy a book on a subject that you are interested
in. For these reasons, it is important to have alternative sources of
information readily available. Below are a few resources that anyone can
access: Libraries are, for many, the first resource that we come into
contact with. Maybe your parent took you to the local library as a child
to get books for nighttime reading, or perhaps you went to the library
with your class at school. Access to libraries doesn't end when you finish
school however. Many University libraries are available to the public,
especially community college libraries. Newspaper archives are another
resource that doesn't get enough use. In this digital age, it is possible
to access newpaper archives from the past century, viewing scans right on
your computer screen. Many systems will even allow you to search the
newspaper archives by keyword. Finally, academic journals are available.
While some online journals such as JSTOR require a campus login or a
monthly subscription, there are other free open access journals that do
not require a fee.