Editorial: Open Access: One Goal, Many Pathways

Abstract

How better to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Library Resources & Technical Services (LRTS) becoming fully open access than an issue chock-full of insights, experiences, practices, and data on open access in library settings? The work published in this issue aligns with several of the obstacles we encountered in making LRTS open and available to all. Namely, despite two decades of growth, open access publishing remains fraught with misconceptions, unrealized benefits, and logistical challenges. In library settings, open access poses opportunity and uncertainty in equal measure and brings to light competing demands for resources. The complexities and expenses associated with open access have led to the perceived and material exclusion of many, including librarians—which of course has considerable implications for equity. This issue highlights the work of librarians who have not been sidelined by challenges, but rather embraced them to investigate how open access does—or does not—align with institutional goals, budgets, and workflows.