Open Access: What You Need to Know Now provides an informative look at what open access (OA) means and why one should care enough about OA to assist in fostering its sustainability. The author answers many questions and gives much detail about the workings of OA in six chapters that deal with the basics of OA, issues and controversies surrounding OA, and steps for fostering OA initiatives.

Open Access does not begin with an introduction but instead with a discussion of who should be concerned about OA's survival and how their involvement can make profound differences. According to the author, “Academic librarians and special librarians should care about OA” (5); among the reasons are funding and accessibility to users. Crawford outlines reasons for public librarians to support OA as well. For all types of librarians, moral and pragmatic considerations come into play. On the moral side, OA provides greater access. On the pragmatic side, “OA accelerates the research process and makes researchers and practitioners more productive” (4).

The author provides this initial definition of OA: “Free online access to journal articles” (11). However, the definition expands to read as follows: “Open access literature is available online to be read for free by anyone, anytime, anywhere” (11). In the chapter on understanding OA, Crawford engages in a lengthy discussion about defining OA from three sources—the “Budapest Open Access Initiative,” the “Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing,” and the “Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in Science and Humanities.”

Naturally, OA provokes certain issues and controversies. Crawford divides the controversial concerns into two groups—those that are legitimate and those that are “pseudo.” In the final chapters, the author provides a list of simple ways to take action; among them are understanding the situation, communicating, and keeping up to date. The books also includes a list of sources provided to keep one abreast of OA; the author calls these the “cornerstones: the resources you should check first” (63). This book is a valuable tool for anyone who wants or needs to learn more about OA.