Student open access publishing offers a useful avenue for academic information literacy in preparation for real-world experiences. Worthwhile drivers of connected learning, digital research and institutional repositories are practical ecosystems for conveying the complexities of the economics and ethics of information creation, access, and use. Drawing on essential concepts, NSUWorks exemplifies a dynamic tool for learners’ engagement with the research lifecycle and for fostering dispositions of critical thinking, reading, and composing for success and professional development.