Rutgers has long been a leader in open access scholarship, championing the free exchange of knowledge through its pioneering Rutgers Open Access Policy and the SOAR repository (Scholarly Open Access at Rutgers). But the landscape is shifting rapidly. In this timely presentation, we’ll explore how emerging forces, especially web accessibility standards and the use of artificial intelligence through large language models, are reshaping how scholarly work is managed and discovered. Join us for a dynamic discussion on evolving journal policies, the responsibilities of authors and peer reviewers, and the regulatory and cultural currents influencing open access. Whether you’re authoring, reviewing, mentoring, or publishing, this session will offer valuable insights into the future of academic knowledge sharing.