his paper describes the internal motivations and external drivers that led The Open University UK to enter the field of Open Educational Resources through its institution-wide OpenLearn initiative (www.open.ac.uk/openlearn). It also describes some of the emerging evidence of the impacts inside and outside the university. Through the rapid implementation and operation of the OpenLearn website, The Open University UK has been able to better understand and promote openness through open and distance learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]