It will be possible to think of some form of electronic publishing where you can buy an amount of texts on disks cartridges. The university system is changing in the Western world at the moment. What is interesting in this context is of course how the rapid development of information technology can possibly change the existing communication system in the scientific communities. A change in the scientific communication system will possibly have effects on the traditional library system. Indirectly authors get paid.
Publications give opportunities for better work and more prestigious affiliations.
It also gives the visibility that is necessary to become members of advisory boards and councils. Some by institutions, some by learned societies and the main bulk by commercial publishers, who rely heavily on the library system for profit. It is interesting to compare the paper bound journal with the electronic piece of research. The electronic article is in total accordance with the very traditional norms of the scientific community. It is fast.