Affording Access: Pathways to Reducing Textbook Costs

Kelly Banyas,Marleen Cloutier

doi:10.5195/palrap.2021.250

Abstract

After piloting an Open Educational Resources (OER) grant program, librarians from the University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library OER Committee conducted a survey of librarians about the inclusion of library resources in OER initiatives. The survey examined if institutions defined library resources as OER, why libraries chose not to include library resources, and, if included, the types of library-licensed or purchased content. The survey found that most (18 of 27) respondents did not include OER and library resources together and, of the institutions that did, a majority (5 of 9) used licensed library resources in addition to open educational and open access resources. The conclusion of this article looks at the pilot grant program and the OER Committee’s decision to realign and rebrand the grant in light of the survey results.

Highlights

At the University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library (WML), students frequently consult library staff and faculty looking to borrow copies of their course textbooks and materials, which are not typically part of the library’s collection
The authors have noted in presentations and talks focusing on Open Educational Resources (OER) initiatives, library resources are sometimes introduced as an “OER” option, with examples including the use reserves and library licensed and purchased materials
In light of the survey results and the popularity of faculty utilizing library resources as part of the OER Implementation Grant, the OER Committee in the WML decided to rebrand the grant as the Affordable Learning Implementation Grant (Appendix C)

Summary

Introduction

At the University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library (WML), students frequently consult library staff and faculty looking to borrow copies of their course textbooks and materials, which are not typically part of the library’s collection. When faced with the cost of their course materials, students in higher education have a decision to make: to purchase access to them, borrow a copy, or get along without them. New articles in this journal are under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 United States License.

Results

Discussion

Conclusion