Open access resources are a very important issue in libraries of all types; and the issue of open access textbooks is crucial to academic libraries and the communities they serve.
Check out this article from Inside Higher Ed to get all the info on the latest developments:
“Congress has set aside $5 million for an open educational resources pilot program — the most significant federal push for alternative textbooks. Advocates are encouraged.
Three times since 2013, members in both houses of Congress have introduced the Affordable College Textbook Act, which would create a federal program to fund the creation of open educational resources on a nationwide scale. Each time, that bill has faltered in committee.
Meanwhile, advocates aimed for a more attainable goal: securing a one-time appropriation for OER funding in the annual federal budget. After a whirlwind few weeks that included a concerted lobbying push, a dramatic late-night bill reveal and an empty veto threat from the president, OER supporters last Friday scored a victory: $5 million for a pilot program of creating and expanding OER textbooks at institutions well positioned to save students money.
Precise details of the plan for implementing the funds are hard to come by. Funds could take several months to become available because the Department of Education needs time to figure out guidance on administering a new pilot program, according to a spokesperson for Senator Dick Durbin, the Illinois Democrat who wrote the affordable textbook bill and has been active on these issues for a few years.
The appropriation cheered OER proponents including the Washington-based Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) and a nationwide network of student activists organized by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). Observers of the publishing industry say the appropriation, while modest compared to ongoing efforts at the state level, represents a symbolic victory that could portend exponential growth for OER adoption.
The success of the appropriation, advocates say, will be measured not only by the funding’s immediate impact at partner institutions, but on the increasing volume of the policy conversation around the federal government’s role in ensuring the affordability of textbooks — and, by extension, higher education as a whole.
“Obviously there are lots of other ways to save students money that can have an impact,” said Nicole Allen, director of open education at SPARC. “By investing in OER, Congress is saying this is the one you should set your sights on.”
Allen said the funds can start having an impact on students “almost right away” — assuming the U.S. Department of Education makes them available promptly. The legislation calls for creating new content and expanding the use of OER; it’s unclear whether that mandate includes helping faculty members find and understand the resources. A spokesperson for the department didn’t respond in time for publication.
As for institutions that will benefit from the funding, Allen speculates the focus will be in part on member institutions of systems like the public institutions in Georgia and Missouri, which are well suited to resource sharing.
Kaitlyn Vitez, director of PIRG’s Campaign to Save Student Aid, said she believes the greatest potential for saving students money lies in high-enrollment introductory courses, where OER material can be applied to numerous sections simultaneously.”
Go through the rest of this article here, along with some resources to share with faculty about using open access!
