In a world where openness is increasingly a desired quality of higher education, academic and research libraries should strive to be open to non-student/non-faculty members of the surrounding community that could benefit from library resources, primarily access to computers and the Internet. This essay explores the potential benefits and challenges when academic libraries open the doors to the general public. Though it is likely to bring some new, additional burdens, the added value the library delivers can outweigh concerns about potential problems.