In view of irrational use of resources in the social services sphere and constraints on the side of supply of social services, an enhanced significance is attributed to rationalization of the process? of their generation and distribution. The authoress points at the necessity of searching for methods and ways of activity, which would force out more effective solutions within the framework of the existing systtem of social services. One of such instruments paving the way for increasing socio-economic effectiveness of these services is considered to be adoption of the commercialization principles lo the systom of their distribution. This gives rise to a question “to what extent should there be developed free services, which of them can be corrmerciaIized and what will be its consequences?" Zadanie pt. „Digitalizacja i udostępnienie w Cyfrowym Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego kolekcji czasopism naukowych wydawanych przez Uniwersytet Łódzki” nr 885/P-DUN/2014 dofinansowane zostało ze środków MNiSW w ramach działalności upowszechniającej naukę.