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The terminology on open access includes more specific titles for open access models.

Suber describes the following terms to define open access more explicitly: gold OA, green OA,

gratis OA, and libre OA. Gold and green are complementary, with green having open access

through repositories and gold allowing access through journals. Going more in-depth, gratis OA

occurs when only the price barrier is removed, while libre OA removes the price and at least

some permissions. Gratis and libre OA are both free of charge, however gratis still requires users

to seek permission to exceed fair use while libre frees some copyright and licensing restriction.

Libre open access is modeled to spare users the wait time and expenses when seeking permission

to exceed fair use (Suber 2012). By examining and determining what models would be best

suited, an institution can provide open information through the specific open access models that

currently exist.

The library in particular plays a huge part in an institution’s role in providing open

information. When assessing the impact of open access on libraries, such as the academic library,

it can be observed that libraries do so already and will continue to play a substantial role in

establishing open access policies for users in regards to research. Libraries can work to create

and establish practices that work in open access as well as explore the new methods of

dissemination and knowledge access (Kyriaki-Manessi, Artemis, and Eugenia 2006). Many

larger academic universities, like the University of Pittsburgh, have begun to initiate institutional

repositories that are focused on open access content. Pittsburgh’s University Library System

(ULS) began their involvement in open access practices in 2001 and has since evolved to holding

more than 2,500 articles from international scholars and working alongside the Archive of

European Integration, an electronic archive for research materials. While also providing access to

additional open access repositories, Pittsburgh’s ULS has also implemented a disciplinary

repository titled D-Scholarship@Pitt, which works to provide stable, maintained content

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submitted to the repository such as research papers, conference proceedings, research data, and

electronic dissertations (University Library System 2011).

As the library in academic and research institutions will continue to provide open

information to users, these institutional repositories will begin to shape the future of how open

access will develop in the next decade. Many authors, scholars, and analysts on the subject of

open access predict that it will eventually become the future of publishing and information

dissemination. There is a variation of opinions on the topic, with most stating that academic

libraries will lead the way as catalysts for open access to the scholarship being created.

Chadwell and Sutton describe a future in which librarians primary roles will have shifted

from buying information for users to managing and distributing information produced by their

faculties and authors within disciplines that are connected to the university’s mission and

academics (2014, 225). In their article, the authors describe how the trend of open access will

most likely accelerate in the next twenty years, leading to a universal acceptance of requirements

in open access for scholarly articles and research. They stress this evolution in accordance to data

that shows the number of open access journals has been growing even in the past five years. The

Directory of Open Access Journals reported a fifteen percent increase in titles during the 2012-13

year, with 3.5 new journals being added each day. All the journals that are listed in the Directory

of OA Journals work to make their content immediate and freely available online across varying

formats (Chadwell and Sutton 2014, 227).

Barbara Fister also describes the future of academic scholarship under the open access

model, by addressing common misconceptions such as the inability of authors to pay to publish

in open access journals or the lack of tenure opportunity by publishing through open access. A

majority of open access do not charge authors anything to publish articles, as the underlying

principle of open access is to provide information without pay and to advance knowledge. She
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counters the latter by referencing evidence that shows scholars’ research can be more exposed

without being hidden through paywalls (Fister 2012, 2). She feels that the only aspect holding

scholars back from integrating fully into the open access movement is that higher education lives

among a culture that is cautious of change. As scholarly literature evolves over time, a certain

prestige is achieved and as O’Donnell (2014) notes, open access could start to eliminate the peer-

review process that gives exposure for scholars and builds on the prestige factor. Suber counters

this by describing how open access is not an attempt to bypass the peer review process, rather it

insists on the importance of peer-reviews. He refutes the argument further by stating scholarly

journals already do not pay peer-reviewing editors and authors, so all participants in the peer

review process are not losing revenue by consenting to open access (2012, 20).

As a final note on the future of open access, it should be addressed that many are in favor

of implementing the open access system because it works to further advance development and

knowledge in parts of the world outside of academia. Clobridge provides solid examples of

statements from scholars that participated in the 2012 Berlin Open Access Conference, held in

Africa. Russel Botman, a professor rector and vice chancellor of Stellenbosch University spoke

on open access and the connection to African development, saying “If we want to accelerate the

development of Africa, we must embrace open access… if knowledge is the currency of our

time, then open access is a re-distribution mechanism.” Similarly, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, the

European commissioner for research, innovation and science from the European Commission

addressed how it is beneficial globally to incorporate open access as a means of accelerating

knowledge consumption. She touches on aspects of spreading information through open access

by pronouncing: “Knowledge is increasingly being produced…we need to share this knowledge,

especially when we are faced with global challenges such as climate change, clean energy, or
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food and water security…thanks to the internet, scientists around the world are developing new

habits of communication and collaboration” (Clobridge 2014, 34).

Europe has begun to take steps in supporting open access, largely to provide public

access to publicly funded research outputs. Clobridge touches on this by noting the European

Commission has launched a pilot project to provide support to open access for research data

(2014). Science correspondent Alok Jha, briefly covered Europe’s step into open access by

reporting Professor Dame Janet Finch of the University of Manchester reached the conclusion

that the future lies with open access publishing. Finch describes how open access could lead to

efficient benefits for researches and in part produce an economic growth. She also makes an

example of how the web has changed expectations for individuals in obtaining and accessing

information, ultimately proposing strengthening the role of digital and institutional repositories

for scientists’ research (Jha 2012).

The one thing that all supporters of open access agree on is the importance of providing

users the ability to digitally and freely, without restriction, access information for their intended

use. This has been the theme constantly repeated in the literature on open access, with much

evidence suggesting that libraries will be the expected institutions to augment the open access

model for information consumers. Fister (2012) noted this in her article, stating that librarians

have played a significant role in facilitating the knowledge through open access since its

inception. The importance of open information will remain a significant topic of discussion in

research as libraries remain aware of the emerging trends and stay open to the dynamic process

of open access. Open access is ultimately in favor of the public good and needs to be evaluated

in all aspects so it may find its way into the modern Internet users home and not just within the

academic or research institution.