Open Access is the free, immediate, online availability of research articles combined with the rights to use these articles fully in the digital environment. Open Access is the needed modern update for the communication of research that fully utilizes the Internet for what it was originally built to do—accelerate research. (Defined by SPARC*)

Why Open Access? It provides more equitable access around the globe not just for the privileged who can afford the costs, but to everyone. It challenges the practices of institutions buying back publications that their own authors have written. It challenges the practice of limiting the use of research results supported by public funds. It challenges the practice of publishers holding copyright to author's works such that authors must seek permission to reuse all or part of their own content. It opposes inflated publisher pricing such that library budgets can no longer afford to subscribe to content that their own scholars produce.

Some barriers

• Open access research outputs are not free to produce, publish, disseminate, or preserve since all have costs associated with them.
• Nor does open access mean universal access, as there are language, technological and censorship barriers to overcome in many parts of the world.  

Short explainer videos

• Open Access - Myth vs. Fact (Editage Insights - 2:36)
• What is “Open Access?” by Open Society Foundations (Open Access Explained! - 8:23)
• Open Access Policies: an Introduction from COAPI (SPARC - 1:38) 

Resources from video

Green and Gold

SHERPA/RoMEO

Creative Commons

Center for Open Science

Myths about Open Access (UMN Libraries)

University-wide policy on Open Access to Scholarly Articles that took effect in January of 2015.

FAQ Open Access to Scholarly Articles