Van Pelt and Opie Library and OERs
The library promotes the openness, accessibility, and affordability of classroom learning materials such as OERs, open access (OA) publications, and the adoption of library-subscribed content. Open course materials defray costs for students and increase equitable access to information, resulting in increased student retention and better student performance (DOI 10.1007/s12528-015-9101-x)
As part of our education and outreach efforts, we work to develop an understanding of campus ethos around OERs and OAs and address misinformation regarding the quality and reliability of open information.
Via consultations, workshops, and programs, library staff assist in discovering OER and share our expertise in understanding copyright and Creative Commons licenses as they apply to OERs and library-subscribed content.
In Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech, the library provides a platform for hosting OERs and other faculty-authored works.
We recognize and celebrate OER champions - faculty who have adopted open and affordable options for their students.
Learn More About OERs
- 7 Things You Should Know About Open Educational ResourcesOverview of OERs from Educause
- Open Education Fact Sheet (SPARC)Defines open resources and their importance
- Defining "Open"...The "5 Rs" of open content are defined and legal and technical barriers are noted.
Accessible Course Materials
The Library supports the University's Accessible Technologies initiative to provide equal access to University information and communication technologies to everyone. While many tools and library resources are accessible, some publishers are still in the process of updating materials. As such, instructors who create, adapt, or embed content into their courses are encouraged to review and use the tools available through the Center for Teaching and Learning's Accessible Instructional Materials page to ensure their course content is accessible.
Librarians are available to answer your questions. Click on the Ask Us bubble for FAQs and contact options (chat, email, text, phone).
Open Educational Resources
Open Educational Resources or OERs are instructional materials made openly available on the internet for others to use, adapt, or customize for their own instructional needs. Part of the larger open access movement, OERs offer an alternative to high-priced course materials and provide instructors with materials they can tailor to their own needs. OERs can include textbooks, syllabi, content modules, simulations, and more.
About OERs
Finding OERs
- OASISSearches open content from repositories. Advanced search option allows filtering by subject and/or source.
- LibreTextsComposed of "living libraries," LibreTexts are open works available for constant revision and updating. Libraries include Chemistry, Engineering, Mathematics, Humanities, Physics, Business, Medicine, and others.
- OpenStaxPublisher of high-quality, peer-reviewed, openly-licensed college textbooks. Free online and low-cost print options available. Nonprofit educational initiative from Rice University.
- Open Textbook Library (University of Minnesota)Higher education textbooks available for free download or low cost printing.
All texts are either in use at multiple higher education institutions or are affiliated with an institution or scholarly society. - OAPENThe OAPEN Library contains freely accessible academic books, mainly in the area of humanities and social sciences. OAPEN works with publishers to build a quality controlled collection of open access books.
- MERLOTCurated collection of open online teaching, learning and faculty development services for instructors who want to create materials.
- Teaching CommonsOERs from leading universities and colleges. Discover resources by subject, institution, or type of material. Resources are hosted on Digital Commons platforms at institutions around the world.
- InTechOpen access publisher of monograph titles in science, technology and medicine subject areas. Many titles are indexed in Web of Science's Book Citation Index.
InTech also provides publishing support for authors interested in creating their own open access work. - Mason OER Metafinder (MOM)Real-time federated search of OER repositories, publishers, collections. Deeper search also searches open content from government and open access sites.
- BC Open CollectionCourse Materials for Educators: Find free, open, and customizable materials by course or subject on this platform from British Columbia.
Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech and OERs
Have you created course materials that you'd like to share with others? The library can help! Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech, the university's repository, is the perfect platform for the OERs you create and want to share. Library staff can help with each step from loading content, creating metadata, to interpreting and applying the reuse license that works for you. Contact library@mtu.edu to learn more.
Books
The following books are available open access. Click the titles to download.
The OER Starter Kit Workbook by Publication Date: March 24, 2020The OER Starter Kit Workbook is a remix of the OER Starter Kit to include worksheets to help instructors practice the skills they need to confidently find, use, or even create open educational resources (OER). We welcome instructors, librarians, instructional designers, administrators, and anyone else interested in OER to explore the OER Starter Kit Workbook.
Modifying an Open Textbook: What You Need to Know by Publication Date: November 1, 2016This is a five-step guide for faculty, and those who support faculty, who want to modify an open textbook. Step-by-step instructions for importing and editing common open textbook file and platform types are included.
The Rebus Guide to Publishing Open Textbooks (So Far) by ISBN: 9781989014103Publication Date: September 30, 2019The Rebus Guide to Publishing Open Textbooks (So Far) is a living repository of collective knowledge, written to equip all those who want to publish open textbooks with the resources they need. Representing two years of collaboration, innumerable conversations and exchanges, and a wide range of collective knowledge and experience, the Guide is a book-in-progress and will evolve and grow over time.