Editorial: Open to Opportunity

Abstract

If you’re reading this, then you’re doing so without hitting a paywall or login prompt, which is truly exciting for us, as we can now officially declare Library Resources & Technical Services (LRTS) to be open access (OA). While every issue of LRTS can be classified as “long in the making,” this issue is particularly so. The pathway to open has been a long one and has involved a good deal of hard work behind the scenes at ALA/Core, with much of that work ongoing. The decision to make LRTS open pre-dates our tenure as editors and much of the efforts of the past year have been in planning for the sustainability of an OA model. Along the way we’ve encountered a lot of the nuts and bolts of OA, including platform considerations, marketing and outreach, budgeting, and fundraising. Oh, and on top of all that, we have a journal to edit! While the work has been interesting and gratifying, we are also happy to focus on our primary editorial duties knowing that the excellent leadership at ALA/Core is supporting the ongoing efforts to keep LRTS open.