Open Access: a new dawn for knowledge management

The transformation into a knowledge society (or an information society) is dependent on the capacity to provide and sustain knowledge citizens and knowledge workers. The critical element here is knowledge and the pendulum needs to swing away from the control of knowledge towards its openness. This openness to knowledge will provide the impetus for the accelerated growth of knowledge societies. This transformation process hinges on the free flow of information which is fundamental to bridging the knowledge gaps between privileged and under-privileged communities. Social inclusion and economic empowerment is only achievable in a society where the citizens have unhindered access to information and knowledge. Implicit in the title, open access being a new dawn for knowledge management is the attempt to find synergy between open access and knowledge management. However, up to now, both the concepts, that is, open access and knowledge management have been mutually exclusive. Historically, knowledge management has been confined to an organization for its holistic information and knowledge management -it is viewed and practiced as a process for the capturing, distributing, and effective use of knowledge within the organization. On the other hand, the fundamental principle of open access is the distribution of information and knowledge to the widest possible audience with absolute minimum financial hurdles.