n. (abbr. OA)the principle that access to archival resources should not be restricted unnecessarilyBuchen 1977, 52The law of secrecy protects the confidentiality of communications between the President and his advisers. At the same time, the law of privacy assures to every man and woman open access to information on birth control techniques.Bazillion 1980, 155While the desire of Rowat and the task force for greater freedom-of-information may seem unremarkable to Americans, the notion of open access to, for example, cabinet documents (which include internal memoranda, agendas, drafts of proposed legislation, consultants’ studies, and any other material related to the decision-making process) is a novel one in Canada.Hodson 1993, 700And second, surely Braden’s case against the FBI would have been strengthened had she completely restricted only those papers that were private and allowed all researchers free and open access to the rest of the collection. By allowing access only to approved researchers, Braden fostered a climate that could have implied exclusion of parties (like the FBI) of whom she did not approve.Jimerson 2007, 260–261Having been entrusted with responsibility for keeping records, archivists have not only an interest in but also an obligation to ensure open access for the wider public good.Danielson 2010, 201In general, American historians and archivists see a connection between open access and a healthy democracy. For this reason, in conflicts between access and privacy, strategies are put in place to attempt to open as much data as legally possible.a model of access to created works and data that seeks to eliminate barriers for readers such as subscription fees and physical media, and barriers to reuse such as copyright restrictions and licensing feesHarnad et al. 2008, 36The research access/impact problem arises because journal articles are not accessible to all of their would-be users; hence, they are losing potential research impact. The solution is to make all articles open access (OA, i.e., accessible online, free for all).Conway and Landis 2011, 4862. Open access does not automatically protect the rights of authors. Open access alone is only one approach to scholarly communication that favors open and unrestricted access. OA publishing encourages but does not mandate that authors manage directly the distribution of their intellectual property.Suber 2015Open-access (OA) literature is digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Notes
The first sense of open access is often enshrined in open records laws for government records, although it may also refer to the provision of easy access to other records. The second sense is often abbreviated OA, and its focus is on avoiding financial impediments to access such as copyright and access or subscription fees.
