Around gold open access

Abstract

Against the background of the recently announced European Commission FP7 post-grant Gold open access pilot, this note addresses the increasingly relevant role that gold open access (OA) is playing in the scholarly communications landscape and argues that the "gold vs green" controversy is of little use for increasing worldwide OA implementation. The text highlights the role played by funding agencies in developing the OA landscape and analyses the role that libraries may play in supporting researchers for managing their article processing charges (APCs) at institutional level. Some challenges posed by the gradual expansion of gold OA are also examined, including the transition in business models that journals are undergoing.