Open Educational Resources and Librarianship: Every student their textbook

Abstract

Since the 1990s, academics have been working to make scholarly and learning materials openly accessible to all students through open educational resources (OER). One reason is the uncontrolled rise in the cost of textbooks caused by monopolistic price-setting by companies dependent on the work of academics. Believing that education is a right for everyone, these academics have combined expertise and energy to make knowledge more shareable, open to improvement through collaboration, and accessible to a diverse audience. Librarians play a role in this effort and help preserve intellectual freedom by using OER to counter the anti-egalitarian aspects of publishing companies that limit access to information by exponentially increasing textbook costs yearly and restricting information behind paywalls. In the University of Hawaiʻi system, librarians continue to reimagine their services and programs to support all students, but this work in particular supports the economically and socially vulnerable and underserved. We work to make educational materials in which students can see themselves and connect to their inherent possibilities within. This also generates valuable opportunities for self-reflection and professional development for faculty. We will introduce attendees to the history of open educational resources, the impact it has had on education at all levels of society, and how it has changed education at the University of Hawaiʻi. Additionally, we will discuss ways in which interested attendees may include OER in their practice by engaging faculty and stakeholders to become involved in OER to benefit their own careers, students, and society at large.