Coordinator of Electronic Resources & Discovery
Librarian
About OERs
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What are OERs? Open educational resources (OERs) can range from textbooks to articles, assessments to study guides, provided that these teaching, learning, and research resources are available at no cost.
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Why? Unlike traditional textbooks or library subscriptions, OERs are a particular type of open access information with the power to advance the common good of students through a reduction in costs associated with classroom learning.
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Are they good? In terms of quality, OERs (including open textbooks) tend to be written by experts in their field, and they typically undergo peer review and/or professional editing. That being said, it is still important--as is the case with any publication--to assess the content for quality.
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Brief history: Expanding access to resources for the common good has been at the core of the OER movement since 2002, when the term was coined at a UNESCO forum with a goal to “develop together a university educational resource available for the whole of humanity.”
Quick Links
- Open Textbook Library This link opens in a new window
Provides access to a wide range of openly licensed textbooks across various subjects, allowing students and educators to freely use, adapt, and distribute educational resources.
- Directory of Open Access Books This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive directory offering access to thousands of peer-reviewed open-access books across various disciplines, promoting free and unrestricted educational resources.
- OpenStax This link opens in a new window
A nonprofit organization offering free, peer-reviewed, open-access textbooks across a wide range of subjects, designed for students and educators to enhance learning and teaching.
- Directory of Open Access Books This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive directory offering access to thousands of peer-reviewed open-access books across various disciplines, promoting free and unrestricted educational resources.
