One of the libraries of Vyborg (Leningrad oblast of Russia) has received a letter with an offer to place in its collection for open access the results of the environmental impact study for the overland portion of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. In and of itself, the offer is not unusual: two years ago, this same company had already placed environmental impact study materials in the libraries of Vyborg. What was unusual this time around, however, was that the letter was accompanied by an offer to do this for money. In so doing, it was proposed that the sum for spreading this information be named by the libraries of the region themselves.

Although libraries are in great need of financing of their activity, at library No. X they refused to place the information sent by a certain ZAO “DIEM”, and she refused to receive payment for such work, reporting to them that they do not knows anything about such an organization, its status, objectives and intentions, and that the very offer to familiarize the population with important environmental information WITH PAYMENT FOR THE WORK OF THE DISSEMINATORS of such information seems suspicious to them.