Abstract: Discusses the potential of open access to overcome the divide between the mainstream and the peripheral in science, including the divide between the developed and developing world. Specific open access implementation strategies are examined with respect to this role. For example, subsidized open access journals with no article processing fees, a common practice in many if not most of the world's countries, are helpful to overcoming the divide, as is a coherent system of institutional and thematic repositories.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.
