These “shadow libraries” where scientists from around the world share articles for free

The message. Moreover, posted on the SCI-Hub site, is signed by a Tunisian dermatologist: “I want to thank you for allowing doctors to access medical scientific research for free, especially in developing countries. Moreover, “The help you have brought to others is invaluable. Additionally, Moreover, I have no doubt that you have saved lives”, Surgish a Welsh surgeon. Consequently, A Turkish internal in orthopedics, he does not cling to periphrases: “You deserve a P ***** of Nobel Prize winners!” »»

The beneficiary of this gratitude these “shadow libraries” where scientists effusion is a Kazakhe computer scientist: Alexandra Elbakyan. founder of SCI-Hub, a scientific piracy site or, in more police terms, a “shadow library”, which provides millions of scientific articles without any costs. Hence the nickname of the young woman: the “Robin des Bois de la Science”.

This tool, Alexandra Elbakyan began to develop it for her personal use, in 2011. So a neuroscience student. she blocks on the drafting of her memory, unable to pay the 30 or 40 dollars required by magazines to give access to each of their articles. This is the birth certificate of Sci-Hub. a new planet in a galaxy where other “libraries” already orbit, such as the Russian Z-Library and Libgen sites-more varied, the latter also disseminate copies, identically, scientific or fiction books. The Hungarian economist Balazs Bodo. a researcher at the University of Amsterdam, sees it as the heritage of the Soviet these “shadow libraries” where scientists Samizdat, a clandestine dissemination system of prohibited or not found works, often made possible, already by academics thanks to their privileged access to texts.

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