This document discusses open access to scholarly publications and the costs of knowledge. It notes that historically publishers have sold access to academic work back to universities despite academics providing the research and peer review. Prices for journal subscriptions, especially electronic journals from major publishers, have become unsustainable for institutions like Harvard. The document explores open access models as an alternative, noting some publisher reactions both for and against open access. It provides examples of open access journals and repositories and encourages academics to publish in, review for, and read open access sources to support the model.