Open access envisions an alternative to the traditional subscription-based access system. Its promise is made possible by new digital technologies and networked communications. As used by ARL, open access refers to any dissemination models created with no expectation of direct monetary return and which make works available online at no cost to the reader.Open access works are intended to be free for readers, not free for producers, and all models operate within the current legal framework of copyright law. There are a number of publishing business models compatible with open access.
Wellcome Trust position statement on open access, October 2003. Updated September 2005
Australian Group of Eight Statement on open access to scholarly information, May 2004
IFLA Statement on Open Access to Scholarly Literature and Research Documentation, February 2004
OECD Declaration on Access to Research Data From Public Funding, January 2004. Signed by more than thirty nations, supports efforts at the national and international levels to broaden access to data from publicly funded research.
UN World Summit on the Information Society Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action, December 2003
Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities, October 2003
ACRL Principles and Strategies for the Reform of Scholarly Communication, August 2003
Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing, June 2003
Budapest Open Access Initiative, February 2002
Open Access Bibliography: Liberating Scholarly Literature with E-Prints and Open Access Journals, by Charles W. Bailey, Jr., provides over 1,300 selected English-language sources of all types and media that are useful in understanding the open access movement. [PDF]
Peter Suber, an advocate for open access, provides a useful summary in his “Open Access Overview.”
American Scientist Open Access Forum
Framing the Issue: ARL's Guide to Open Access, May 2004 [PDF]
SPARC Open Access Resources
Open Access FAQ. The Public Library of Science, an open access publisher of high-profile journals in the biology and biomedical fields, offers this resource to answer frequently asked questions about open access.
BioMed Central Open Access Advocacy Kit provides links to resources that promote change in scholarly communication through adoption of open access research journals.