Providers notify Ex Libris of a collection’s access status and provide information about whether a collection is Open Access, along with the collection name.

It is important to note that Open Access is not a single model. Providers may follow different Open Access policies and support different flavors of Open Access, including fully Open Access, hybrid, delayed Open Access, and other variations.

Therefore, at times, Open Access collections may include individual titles that are considered hybrid, meaning they contain a combination of Open Access and subscription-based content. At present, we can flag a collection as Open Access, but we do not support a separate hybrid indication.

When titles within an Open Access collection are not fully Open Access, we work with the provider to better understand the collection’s content and access model. Depending on the circumstances, we may ask the provider to adjust coverage dates or thresholds (for example, limiting Open Access coverage to content published through a specific year) to more accurately reflect the Open Access portion of the collection. If a title contains predominantly subscription-based content, we will ask the provider to remove the Open Access indication and from the collection name. 

Last Update: 17-Aug-2026