Many faculty report that searching for open and affordable course materials is time intensive, and it can be tricky to interpret the copyright or license permissions in some instances. Consider saving time by scheduling a consultation with your liaison librarian. Librarians can help by doing a first search and compiling likely resources for your review, including items already in our collections. The resources here are some of the larger resources librarians typically turn to:
Recommended Tools for Finding Open Textbooks
- Open Textbook Library: The Open Textbook Network offers a curated collection of open, peer-reviewed academic textbooks. Detailed reviews by faculty are provided.
- OpenStax: A nonprofit organization based out of Rice University which provides free textbook resources for higher education and K-12. The texts are created through a peer review process and include robust ancillary content and low-cost technology solutions through their tech partners program. Several large-enrollment courses at UD are now using OpenStax texts.
Recommended Tools for Finding Open Ancillary Materials:
- OER Commons: This vast collection of open resources includes many types of learning objects including full simulations and interactive materials, tutorials, and full courses. It has powerful searching and browsing functionality to aid those seeking content.
- Merlot II: A curated collection of free and open online teaching, learning, and faculty development services. All the materials in MERLOT are reviewed for suitability for retention in the collection and many undergo a more extensive peer review.