1. OER Building Blocks: Identifying Resources for Open Textbooks
Michele Frasier-Robinson, Education & Psychology Librarian
Anne Hudson, Arts & Letters Librarian
October 13, 2016

2. Standard textbooks They are very expensive!
Last 10 years: cost of textbooks has increased by 73%.
Students spend approximately $1200 per year on textbooks.
65% of students have put off buying a textbook because of the expense.
30% of students have used financial aid to pay for textbooks. 3 billion dollars annually!
Content of traditional textbooks is locked by the copyright holder.
© User:Ingalls / “Just the ones I’m getting rid of” / CC BY 2.0.

3. What are open textbooks?
Open educational resources
Faculty-written, peer-reviewed textbooks.
published under an open license – free to read and download.
Print copies $10 - $40, or approximately the cost of printing.
Over 3,000 courses nationwide use an open textbook
© User: OpenSource.com / “Brigham Young University faculty survey seeks to advance open
education through academic libraries” / CC BY, SA, 2.0

4. Benefits of open textbooks
Tailored to fit course.
Accessible 24/7.
Continuous improvement with editing.
Supplementary material can support different learning styles.
Rapid dissemination increases relevance and timeliness.
Reduce student expense. Students saved $128 per course when they used an open textbook.
© User: OpenSource / “Open Source Prescription” / CC BY, SA, 2.0

5. Select resources for open textbooks
OpenStax
Peer Reviewed
27% of degree granting institutions use at least one textbook from OpenStax
Print version available
BC Campus OpenEd
Peer reviewed
Multiple tools to assist with selecting and authoring open textbooks
Merlot II
Over 3,000 open textbooks
Search by topic, audience, license, and peer review
Material rated by users

6. Southern Miss Textbook Initiative
Objectives:
Save students money.
Improve student learning with tailored curricular resources.
Support faculty experimentation with open educational resources.
Encourage an institutional culture that supports open sharing of scholarship.
Awards of $400 to $1600 for faculty members who successfully submit a winning proposal.
Recipients contacted by end of 2016.

7. Library resources for open textbooks
The biggest drawback of creating an open textbook is finding relevant material.
Librarians can help!
Subject librarians will assist faculty with acquiring resources for their open textbook.
Open Educational Resources Research Guide
Copyright Basics

8. Other resources for open textbooks
Teaching and learning materials that you may freely use and reuse at no cost.
course syllabi, lecture notes, and reading lists
audio and video clips
images
data ©

9. Creative Commons
Licenses provide a simple, standard way to give permission to share and use your creative work
Licenses are not an alternative to copyright, they enable you to modify your copyright terms
Licensing a work: select which license, and then mark your work to indicate the license terms ©

10. Where to start? Find a book in a open textbook collection.
Use a review rubric or criteria to rate the text.
Adopt, modify or create?
Contact your subject librarian for assistance with resources.
Select a Creative Commons license.
Distribute to students.
© User: Opensource.com / “Flat World Knowledge: Open College Textbooks / CC BY, SA 2.0

11. More Resources Open Textbook Authoring Guide
Open Textbook Review Criteria
Copyright Commons at Southern Miss
Creative Commons

12. Questions?
Michele Frasier-Robinson, Education & Psychology Librarian Phone:
Anne Hudson Arts & Letters Librarian
Phone: