Dan Cohen

The idea of open access to library and archival materials is almost as old as the web itself, as this new medium created for the first time the exciting possibility of widespread, easy distribution of educational and scholarly works. While much of the effort in open access has focused on the “supply side” of these online resources—bringing materials to the web through digitization increasing their availability—less attention has been paid to the “demand side” of enabling and encouraging the broadest possible use by the public. How can we promote the maximal use of collections through digital media and technology? How can an array of audiences involve themselves in the use, curation, and even production of these resources? Emphasizing new platforms, multiple distribution channels, clearer and more liberal rights for metadata and materials, and the power of socializing and synthesizing formerly disparate libraries and archives can help to stimulate and strengthen the demand side of open access.