Gwern mentions the benefit of being affiliated with a university so you can use ILL (in particular, Illiad). I think it's worth mentioning some ways you can ge

Gwern mentions the benefit of being affiliated with a university so you can use ILL (in particular, Illiad). I think it's worth mentioning some ways you can get ILL without having to be a student or professor. (Note that these are not actually going to be practical for most people, but for people who happen to be in the right situation to take advantage of them, they can be quite useful.) 1. Live in New York City. Yes, the New York Public Library seems to provide access to Illiad! I haven't actually tried making use of this, but it's on the website. Obviously you're not going to move to New York just to take advantage of this, but if you happen to already live there, you have this option! I expect there are other cities and non-university organizations that provide access to Illiad; I mention New York just because it's one I know of. If other people know of others, I'd be glad to know of them! 2. Get a position as a "visiting scholar" at a nearby university. :) OK, this one will likely require knowing someone there, and maybe having a PhD since there may be some minimum requirements, but generally if you can get a professor to name you can one you can become a "visiting scholar" -- this isn't a job, they don't pay you anything and you're not required to do anything for them, and as such there's no hiring process, you just can get named one if you meet the minimum requirements (they may want to see some sort of CV also). They won't pay you any money but you will get library access, including ILL! So, y'know, that's useful. :) Obviously that route isn't open to everyone either. But depending on your situation it can certainly be easier than enrolling as a student or getting a job as a professor!