A Critical Approach to Open Access Sources with a Focus on the History of Technology

Abstract

Open access sources (OAS) used by researchers are becoming increasingly demanded as well as widely available in a large number of subject areas because they allow the user to save time and they provide a highly convenient access to scholarly information. The article deals with the various aspects of OAS including the role of traditional academic libraries and librarians. Categories including primary, secondary and tertiary OAS are discussed. Selected items of history of technology in each category are presented for illustration purposes; also the types of open access providers are overviewed including open access journals, institutional repositories and specialised webpages/databases. Technical, organisational/economical, political and content quality challenges of open access sources are considered from the provider and end-user perspective. The library's role in educating end-users of OAS is emphasized.