The Digital Repository utilizes the Green Open Access, otherwise known as self-archiving. This is one of several routes that can be taken to ensure unrestricted open access to scholarly articles. In Green Open Access, scholarship is made openly available through its inclusion in an online archive or repository, rather than being made available directly through a publishing platform. The Digital Repository currently offers no option for embargo of submitted works, but scholarship may be submitted to the Repository following an embargo period.

Open Access refers to the practice of making scholarly articles freely accessible via the internet, without the need of a subscription paid for by an individual or institution. Open Access is important as it removes many of the financial barriers that make research papers difficult for the general public to access. When new research is available to a wider audience, academic breakthroughs can occur more rapidly and students can be educated more broadly. Westfield State University's Digital Repository is committed to helping to further the goals of Open Access by allowing authors to share their academic scholarship online at no cost.