Open Textbook Library Reaches 1,000 Titles

Just in time for its 10-year anniversary, the Open Textbook Library's collection of open education resources has surpassed 1,000 titles. Launched in 2012, the Library is an online catalog of openly licensed materials hosted by the Open Education Network (OEN), a membership community based at the University of Minnesota's Center for Open Education.

The Library offers faculty book reviews and downloadable textbooks in multiple formats (including PDF, ODF, XML and Ebook), covering subjects such as business, computer science, education, engineering, humanities, journalism, law, mathematics, medicine, natural and social sciences and student success. The thousandth book in the collection: Botany in Hawaiʻi, by Daniela Dutra Elliott and Paula Mejia Velasquez, added in March. OEN expects to grow the Library "as OER garners increasing acceptance and approval from faculty, and as the broader open education movement continues to gain momentum," according to a news announcement.

"The Library visibly demonstrates our commitment to a more equitable higher education system," commented David Ernst, executive director of the OEN and founder of the Open Textbook Library, in a statement. "At this 10-year milestone mark, we're thrilled with the Library's success and see it as a reflection of the community's generosity with their time, expertise and resources."

"It has been exciting to watch the Open Textbook Library's continuing development," said Merinda McLure, OER co-lead and health & human sciences librarian at the University of Colorado Boulder. "It is difficult to describe adequately the central importance of the Library to supporting educators' adoption, adaptation, and creation of open textbooks across higher education institutions."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • AI-inspired background pattern with geometric shapes and fine lines in muted blue and gray on a dark background

    IBM Releases Granite 3.0 Family of Advanced AI Models

    IBM has introduced its most advanced family of AI models to date, Granite 3.0, at its annual TechXchange event. The new models were developed to provide a combination of performance, flexibility, and autonomy that outperforms or matches similarly sized models from leading providers on a range of benchmarks.

  • blue and green lines intersecting and merging in an abstract pattern against a light gray background with a subtle grid design

    Data Integration Market: Cloud Giants Down, AI Up

    "By 2027, AI assistants and AI-enhanced workflows incorporated into data integration tools will reduce manual intervention by 60 percent and enable self-service data management," according to research firm Gartner.

  • minimalist bookcase filled with textbooks featuring vibrant, solid-colored spines with no text, and a prominent number "25" displayed on one of the shelves

    OpenStax Celebrates 25th Anniversary

    OpenStax is celebrating its 25th anniversary as 2024 comes to a close. The open educational resources initiative from Rice University has served almost 37 million students in 153 countries and saved students nearly $3 billion in course material costs since its launch in 1999.

  • wind turbine and solar panels with glowing accents on the left and a digital shield surrounded by binary code on the right

    Educause Horizon Report: Sustainability Pressures Lead to Increased Cybersecurity Risks

    Educause recently released the 2024 Cybersecurity and Privacy Edition of its Horizon Report series, forecasting key trends, technologies, and practices shaping the future of cybersecurity and privacy in higher education.