Open Access as a New Paradigm of Knowledge Dissemination: The Strategic Role of Libraries

Abstract

Open Access has emerged as a transformative paradigm in scholarly communication, challenging traditional models of knowledge dissemination that rely on restricted access and commercial publishing infrastructures. This study examines Open Access as a new paradigm of knowledge dissemination and analyzes the strategic role of libraries in facilitating, mediating, and governing open knowledge ecosystems. Employing a qualitative descriptive–analytical approach with a conceptual framework, the study draws on academic literature, policy documents, and scholarly analyses related to Open Access, library publishing, and open science practices. The findings demonstrate that Open Access reconfigures the roles of libraries from passive information providers into active institutional actors responsible for infrastructure development, knowledge mediation, and scholarly advocacy. However, the study also reveals persistent structural and ethical challenges, including misaligned academic incentive systems, policy fragmentation, and emerging inequalities linked to author-funded publishing models. These constraints limit the capacity of libraries to fully institutionalize Open Access as a dominant mode of scholarly communication. The study concludes that Open Access should be understood not merely as a technical innovation but as an institutional and normative transformation that requires coherent policy support, ethical governance, and recognition of libraries as central actors in knowledge dissemination. Strengthening the strategic position of libraries is therefore essential to ensuring that Open Access contributes meaningfully to equitable and sustainable knowledge production.