Under the traditional model for scholarly publishing, scholars perform research and give their work to publishers, who reproduce the work and then sell it to libraries. Libraries then provide access to information resources for scholars and students. This model developed over centuries of scholarly communication and the ability to disseminate research was essentially restricted by technological and legal barriers to easy reproduction.

Today, advances in digital technologies have revolutionized the way scholarship is produced, evaluated, distributed, and preserved. These technologies have the potential to spread knowledge father, faster, and cheaper, maximizing the impact of research and benefiting people throughout the world. Some publishers are sticking to the old models of distribution and continue to limit access to those who can afford to pay. However, these technologies enable new models, including digital publishing, digital repositories, and open access journals that can maximize the spread and impact of our scholarship. Likewise, the creative common license is a way for creators to encourage access, use, and reuse of their works. 

Open Access

Open access refers to a process whereby copyrighted content is made freely available (often via the Internet) for others to use, reuse, and build upon. In scholarly publishing, the open access movement seeks to make scholarly, peer-reviewed materials freely available to all, without barriers like subscription fees or paywalls. Luther College supports and encourages the Luther community to make creative works available via open access whenever appropriate. Doing so fosters learning and creativity and promotes the free exchange of knowledge and ideas.

For more information about open access:

Open Access, from SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition)

Creative Commons Licenses

Creative Commons is an organization that has created and shared a variety of free, easy-to-use legal tools that give everyone from individual creators to major companies and institutions a simple, standardized way to pre-clear copyrights to their creative work. CC licenses let people easily change their copyright terms from the default of "all rights reserved" to "some rights reserved."

For more information:

About the Licenses, from Creative Commons