Practice Article

Open Textbooks at Oregon State University: A Case Study of New Opportunities for Academic Libraries and University Presses

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Abstract

INTRODUCTION This article describes a joint open textbook publishing initiative begun in 2013 between Oregon State University (OSU) Libraries and Press and the Open Educational Resources and Emerging Technologies unit of Oregon State University’s Extended Campus. DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM This initiative combines the Open Access values and project management resources of OSU Libraries, the book production (peer review, editing, design, marketing) expertise of OSU Press, and the technological development skills of the Open Educational Resources and Emerging Technologies unit. Authored by OSU faculty and focused across some of the University’s signature areas, the initiative seeks to establish a sustainable model for research libraries and university presses to collaborate with each other and other partners to publish open textbooks that will benefit students on both economic and educational levels. The article analyzes how open textbooks fit within the emerging library publishing movement, examines the implementation of the OSU open textbook publishing initiative, and conveys some lessons learned for other libraries to consider as they entertain the possibility of similar collaborations. NEXT STEPS A description of next steps includes tracking course adoptions of the textbooks as well as establishing sustainable digital publishing platforms and business models.

How to Cite:

Sutton, S. C. & Chadwell, F. A., (2014) “Open Textbooks at Oregon State University: A Case Study of New Opportunities for Academic Libraries and University Presses”, Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication 2(4), eP1174. doi: https://doi.org/10.7710/2162-3309.1174