To a reasonable extent, scholarly publishers are not as price gouging as other commercial publishers. They are run by professional societies in the interest of disseminating information, and it is in their interest to keep a subscription base. But the prices of journals have skyrocketed in recent years, disproportionately to other markets. At issue is how to improve the viability of publishing communities. In a sense, universities are paying for articles twice.
Academia is bled and losing control of scholarship.
It all began in 1995 with the online production of the weekly The Journal of Biological Chemistry . The urgency of information needs is driven by the nature of the profession. For example, getting medical or scientific research findings out to professionals is a more time-sensitive process than in disciplines such as sociology or political science. Delivering an online publication generates an array of new challenges. Difficulties exist even in starting each journal.