Open Access (OA) makes research literature freely available to all readers, by various mechanisms. It’s the flip side of academia’s gift economy, where scholars and researchers also write, review and edit for free.

OA at the U

Open Access fits in with the U’s commitment to "making the knowledge and resources created and preserved at the University accessible to the citizens of the state, the nation, and the world."  See the U’s policy on Open Access to Scholarly Articles

Scholars across the U work towards open access by

OA at the U Libraries

OA publishing has broad benefits:

  • authors retain greater control of rights in their publications
  • readers have broader freedoms to use published research.

The University Libraries therefore supports and encourages Open Access as part of helping authors and editors explore a wide variety of publishing options. Library services include

Questions or comments about OA? Contact openaccess@umn.edu

Questions or comments about open access issues at the University of Minnesota, and in general, can be directed to openaccess@umn.edu.