OK, I know nothing about this really, so this is just trying to understand a bit. Can we think of a library as a club for its readers, and a journal as the union of two clubs: one for its readers (the majority) and one for its writers. But what if you built the economics of the journal the other way round: the club is for researchers who want their work to be read and judged? Or, possibly, for research institutions (perhaps via their libraries) who want their researchers' work to be read and judged?

Those certainly seem like the criteria for OA journals, whether gold or green. Both seem to leave out some key potential club members: non-affiliated researchers (who are also left out of traditional journal clubs).

I have a young relative, recently completed a clinical doctorate in psychology. A year or so after leaving the university where she completed her training, one of her pieces of work finally gets accepted for publication. Prompted by me, she asks for the Open Access option... but it's Â£1,800! Too much, and no sponsor, so she has to opt for the traditional TA option... which I suppose makes her a free-rider on the traditional model, after being excluded from the new model!