Library Leadership in Open Educational Resource Adoption and Affordable Learning InitiativesUrban Library Journal, Volume 23, Issue 1, January 2017, pages 2-13
The library serves as a natural nexus for coordinating open educational resource adoption and facilitating the use of affordable learning materials. Librarians are knowledgeable about trends in scholarly communication, copyright, and publishing, and our connection to students is unique and positions librarians as key advocates for students. Library values of free and equal access to information aligns closely with affordable learning goals to reduce costs for students and increase the use of open access, freely available and/or low-cost high quality learning materials. This article reports on results from a student survey regarding textbook costs at a large, urban public university, and recommends strategies library subject liaisons can use to engage with faculty to support affordable learning initiatives.