This is a big problem for fields where information doesn't go out of date quickly.
A librarian friend pointed out that the problem highlighted here is one aspect, but the other aspect is that in the past libraries were building an asset. If they quit paying for a journal, they still had the back issues, maybe fifty years worth, maybe more. Now, they day they quit paying their subscription, they lose the entire back catalog too. So they're being held hostage by Elsevier and the like now and in lean years that means they literally have zero budget for books
