Resum

This paper provides an overview of open education in Europe, focusing on higher education. It begins by considering how the notion of ‘contemporary open education’ has evolved over time. It then reviews the various open education-related initiatives that have been promoted by the European Commission, from the institution of an open education framework to the current development of education policies. It also reports on specific initiatives and makes a series of recommendations about policy design oriented to opening up education. It analyses the relationship between open education and the open science movement, specifically the manner in which open education can be contextualised in the emergent paradigm of open science. Finally, the paper considers how academic libraries should be supporting open education and examines the influence that information professionals can bring to bear in this field.