"Open Access is bringing great benefits to the academic world"

Emma McCulloch, Taking Stock of Open Access: Progress and Issues, forthcoming from Library Review, 55, 6 (2006). Self-archived May 12, 2006.

Abstract: Purpose – Aims to provide a broad overview of some of the issues emerging from the growth in Open Access publishing, with specific reference to the use of repositories and Open Access journals.
Design/methodology/approach – A viewpoint paper largely based on specific experience with institutional repositories and the internationally run E-LIS archive.
Findings – The Open Access Initiative is dramatically transforming the process of scholarly communication bringing great benefits to the academic world with an, as yet, uncertain outcome for commercial publishers.
Practical implications – Outlines the benefits of the Open Access movement with reference to repositories and Open Access journals, to authors and readers alike, and gives some food for thought on potential barriers to the complete permeation of the Open Access model, such as copyright restrictions and version control issues. Some illustrative examples of country-specific initiatives and the international E-LIS venture are given.
Originality/value – An attempt to introduce general theories and practical implications of the Open Access movement to those largely unfamiliar with the movement.