Open Educational Resources (OER)
Open Textbook Repositories
These link to various repositories of open textbooks. Because they are repositories, you may encounter the same title in multiple places.
- Open Textbook LibraryOver 800 openly licensed textbooks. Peer reviewed. Arranged by subject.
- OpenStaxApproximately 60 openly licensed textbooks. Peer reviewed. Arranged by subject. Sponsored by Rice University.
- BCCampus OpenEdAlmost 400 openly licensed textbooks. Sponsored by British Columbia Ministry of Advanced Education.
- Milne Open TextbooksApproximately 40 textbooks. Sponsored by State University of New York.
- WikibooksOver 3,000 openly licensed books. All levels (elementary to higher education).
- Open Access Books on JSTOR7,000+ open access ebooks from 90 publishers, including Brill, Cornell University Press, De Gruyter, and University of California Press,
Other Open Resources
OERs encompass more than just textbooks; they also can be notes, test banks, activities, presentations, and more.
- OER CommonsA large repository that includes some textbooks and many related items, including activities, labs, lesson plans, lecture notes, and more.
- MERLOTA repository of over 90,000 learning materials.
"Not-Quite-Open But Free to Students" Resources
- eBook Collection (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Includes more than 200,000 full-text ebooks from leading academic publishers. Watch a video on how to use this database.
- Ebook CentralCurrently only displaying books in the education discipline. Others available; check with the library.
- Articles from DatabasesDeWitt's list of databases.
OER Search Tools
The following tools search across various OER repositories.
Additional Resources
- Faculty/staff guide to Open Educational ResourcesThe library staff at Tacoma Community College created an extensive resource which details OERs by subject.
- OER by Discipline Directory (BCcampus)This OER about OER lists various types of resources by discipline. It's continually updated.
- OER by Discipline Guide (McMaster University)Another OER listing open resources by discipline.
What Are Others Doing?
Sometimes it's helpful to see how colleagues are using OER:
- OER Adopted in Iowa CollegesThis spreadsheet allows you to browse the OER in use at other Iowa colleges. If you're using an OER, feel free to add to the list!
Still Empty-Handed?
- Are you finding sections of various materials useful? Consider modifying or remixing, if allowed. Or consider creating your own.
- Contact the library for additional help.