This essay situates the file-sharing website AAARG (primarily used to share academic texts in the humanities) in the context of the economics of the contemporary academy. Contingent employment prevents access to research libraries, while reduced library budgets and the exploitative practices of publishing conglomerates such as Elsevier limit options even for those who do have access. In this context, AAARG provides one of the only outlets to allow for a consistent, global channel of communication for researchers to share their work.