A Review article [2] published today in PLoS Computational Biology [3] describes the process of semantically enhancing a research article to enrich content, providing a striking example of how open-access content can be re-used and how scientific articles might take much greater advantage of the online medium in future.

The Arcadia Project [8] is a three-year programme based at the University of Cambridge (UK), which aims to explore the role of academic libraries in a digital age. Naturally, we were delighted that a PLoS board member was selected to give the first Arcadia lecture.

Starting work in open-access publishing at PLoS Medicine seemed a sensible step for me, having focused my Masters research on an evaluation of the quality and research dividends of an online archaeological database [11] – a unique resource which holds records of more than 300,000 artefacts from England and Wales and renders information about these finds accessible to any interested party, whilst also facilitating research into previously neglected topics and questions. Yet, many of my colleagues in archaeology insisted that open access had no place in our discipline, arguing that authors would be unable to fund publication fees and traditional subscription-based journals were too central to assessment of academic merit. A quick search of PLoS journal archives reveals, however, that some archaeological scientists have already embraced the open-access model for dissemination of their research.

In a wonderful example of creative reuse of open literature, PLoS Computational Biology’s [14] “Ten Simple Rules” collection of Editorials has recently been translated into Chinese by members of the EpiMan discussion forum [15]. Originally written by Editor-in-Chief Philip E. Bourne and collaborators, this collection offers tips and advice for scientists and other professionals at every stage of their career.

After the resounding success of our first ever Open Access Day in 2008 [18], where we had nearly 130 participating organizations from almost 30 countries, we are pleased to announce that this year's events will be scheduled during the week of 19-23 October 2009. Why a week rather than a day?