This document introduces a handbook on open access and summarizes its purpose and production. It states that open access aims to build knowledge societies with participation from all people by facilitating access to information and knowledge. However, debates surround how to ensure both open access and protection of intellectual property. The handbook was produced through an expert workshop to inform the public debate on balancing open access with commercial and private interests in academic work.

1. Preface by the President of the German Commission for UNESCO
联合国教科文组织德国委员会主席序
Knowledge is increasingly important for the development of the individual and society in an ever more
globalised world. One of the primary goals of UNESCO is therefore to build up modern knowledge
societies in which all people can participate in information and knowledge. At the same time the
protection of intellectual property is a major concern, with the aim of ensuring creativity as a core
sphere of culture.
在日趋全球化的世界里，知识对个人与社会发展的重要性与日俱增。建立现代化的知识社会，
让所有的人都能参与信息与知识，是联合国教科文组织的主要目标之一。同时，保护知识产权
也是主要的议题，它的目标是确保创意成为文化的核心。
Today, the Internet allows access to information worldwide and at any time. Simultaneously, university
libraries’ warnings that they can no longer fully meet their responsibility of providing information
because of considerable price increases in subscriptions to academic journals are increasingly urgent. In
other words, the development of new models of information provision is not only possible, but
necessary if access to knowledge and culture is to be secured as one of our most important resources.
今天，通过因特网，随时能在全球各地获取信息。同时，大学图书馆警告着，因为订阅学术期
刊的费用骤增，它们已不再能提供的完整的信息。换言之，如果我们要保障知识和文化的获
取，使其成为我们最重要的资源，不仅有可能而且有必要发展新的提供信息模式。
In this connection, Open Access is one of the models under discussion. Can and should access to
publicly funded academic knowledge be free of charge to the user?
从这些角度思考，开放获取是众多讨论的模式之一。公共资助的学术知识可以或应该免费让用
户使用吗？
This question is being hotly debated. It has implications for educational, research, legal and economic
policy. Without a doubt, individual educational opportunities will be enhanced and innovation
promoted if access to knowledge is facilitated in this way. At the same time, there may well be a
justified interest in the commercial exploitation of academic results, for example when research is
partly financed by private funds.
这是个讨论激烈的议题，在教育、研究、法律与经济政策方面均需要讨论。毫无疑问，获取知
识采用这种模式，可强化个人教育机会并推动的创新。同时，也可能提高学术成果的商机，例
如对由私人资助部份经费的研究。
These few aspects suffice to show that the debate on Open Access must be held on as broad a social
basis as possible. The present handbook is designed to contribute to this debate. It provides an
interested public with information on Open Access, a subject which, despite its great social importance,
has hitherto been mainly discussed by experts.
从这几个观点来看，关于开放获取议题的讨论必须尽量扩大社会基础。本手册从这个议题切
入，为感兴趣的公众提供有关开放获取的信息，虽然开放获取具有极大的社会冲击，但目前仍
停留在专家讨论的阶段。
This handbook is the result of a workshop bringing together 25 experts. These workshop participants
— coming from German Federal Ministries, the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and
Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany, the European Commission, the
academic community, major academic organisations, the publishing sector, and the Open Access
community — discussed the structure and contents of the present publication. I would like to express
my thanks to them, and to the numerous authors of this handbook. I should also like to thank the

2. German Federal Foreign Office for its support of both the workshop and the publication.
本手册是 25 位专家参加研讨会的结晶，来自德国联邦各部、德国教育与文化事务部常务委员
会、欧盟执行委员会、学界、主要的学术团体、出版社以及开放获取社区的专家，齐聚一堂讨
论当前出版的结构与内容。我非常感谢他们，以及本手册的作者，也要谢谢德国外交部支持此
次研讨会并出版此手册。
Walter Hirche
瓦尔特·希尔歇
p. 10
Open Access: Opportunities and Challenges. A handbook [开放获取 : 机会及挑战] / European
Commission, German Commission for UNESCO. -- Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of
the European Communities, 2008. -- 144 p., 14.8 x 21.0 cm. -- ISBN 978-92-79-06665-8. -- EUR
23459, http://tinyurl.com/3q8wo5