Certainly, there are people transcribing records and publishing them in books or on the Web, but transcriptions are subject to errors. Abstracts of records are fraught with the problems associated with one person's interpretation of what's important and worthy of inclusion and what's not. Obtaining copies of birth certificates, marriage licenses, death certificates and other public records can be expensive. Cities, counties and states must recover the costs of locating and copying the records for you. Birth certificates, marriage licenses, and death certificates all contain what could be valuable information.
Many genealogists neglect ordering copies of vital records for recent generations.
You may think that's true but it might not be a correct assumption after all. By reviewing a copy of the record, you may find an additional piece of information that either corroborates or conflicts with your earlier work. A difference in the spelling of a name or a different date might make a great deal of difference in how you continue your research. This piece of information challenged all my previous research about her. After more research and letters to Cobb County and to the National Archives, I was able to determine that my great-grandmother had been married before.