The Flavors of Open Access

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present various aspects of open access that are being discussed and debated in recent years. Design/methodology/approach – The paper briefly reviews the flavors such as open access definitions, open access initiatives, platforms for open access, and players in the open access movement. Findings – The paper finds that, while the debates on open access continue, there is no doubt that librarians can play an important role to help achieve faster and wider dissemination of research discoveries and new knowledge of which they have been disseminators and keepers for centuries. Originality/value – The article may help readers further their understanding of the complexity of open access and raise awareness on some of the key points