Open access (OA) publishing is a unique model for disseminating academic work to a larger readership that is not controlled by traditional publishing/subscription gate-keepers. This panel provides an informative session reviewing OA as a new publishing landscape ripe with opportunities and potential pitfalls. To help you navigate this uncharted terrain, three presenters will guide you through a discussion covering OA's origin story, models under which OA operates, pros and cons of the OA landscape, and differing perspectives on OA from a variety of academic stakeholders. The goal of the session is to educate participants about OA publishing and generate an open dialogue of the virtues and vices it offers academics. By the end of the session you will walk away with a mental map equipped to chart your own path into (or away from) OA territory.