October 20-26, 2025, was International Open Access Week [1] – a global event dedicated to openness in scholarship and research. This year’s theme, “Who Owns Our Knowledge?”, invited all of us to reflect on who controls the production and sharing of knowledge—and how we might open it up for the wider public good.
The School of Environmental Design and Rural Development was excited to host three open-access journals: Canadian Agri-food & Rural Advisory, Extension and Education Journal [2], Rural Review: Ontario Rural Planning, Development, and Policy [3], and Proceedings of the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation [4]. Each of these journals ensures that emerging theory, research, and practice reaches a broad audience—from scholars to practitioners to community members to policy makers.
The School wishes to express our gratitude to the McLaughlin Library at the University of Guelph for their steadfast support. Thanks to the Library’s open journal infrastructure and hosting services, the Rural Review is able to live freely and openly online. The Rural Review stands as one concrete example of how research can be shared openly, equitably, and directly.
Learn more about Open Access Week [1] and the supports from the McLaughlin Library at the University of Guelph [5].
