Have you ever found a really interesting abstract only to find that the article was stuck behind a paywall? What kind of publishing model could we use so that wasn't an issue anymore?
Put simply, open access is a method of publishing that bypasses the need for traditional journals and the skyrocketing subscription costs they bring with them. "The average price of U.S. academic journals has increased more than eightfold between 1984 and 2010, while the U.S. national inflation rate was only 110 percent during that same 25-year period," (Shu et al., 2018).
Instead, authors and researchers can publish their work without any barriers to access. There are several ways to achieve this. For example, there is the 'gold OA' or 'gold path,' wherein the author pays for their work to be shared directly by the journal without any barriers on the reader's end. Given the increasing costs of subscription, this type of model represents a way for libraries to provide patrons with as much educational content as they can without straining their budget.
On a less practical level, open access is in keeping with the philosophical vision of libraries as boundless repositories for knowledge where everyone can take advantage of the opportunity to learn.
For an example of what open access looks like in practice, we can look at the UCLA library system. Two separate agreements have been struck between the library and academic publishers, expanding the number of articles available to students and faculty and assisting researchers with the financial cost of getting published. Time will tell if other schools will achieve similar agreements.
If you would like to learn more, you can explore articles and journals at The Directory of Open Access Journals. You may also be interested in this YouTube channel, which gives a breakdown of the differences between open access journals and traditional journals, why journals have become so expensive, and provides advice on how to incorporate that into your career plans for those interested or already in a career in academia.
Works cited
Shu, F., Mongeon, P., Haustein, S., Siler, K., Alperin, J., & Larivière, V. (2018). Is it such a big deal? on the cost of journal use in the Digital Era. College & Research Libraries, 79(6), 785–798. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.79.6.785
0 Comments.