We can and we should: the libraries' role in open education Libraries around the country, and the world, are increasingly devoting time and resources to open education. But why? In what way are libraries part of this movement and how does it serve our missions and services? This presentation will describe the value that libraries’ engagement in this space can offer to our institutions, our students, and our profession; and, to outline possible ways forward for libraries that are interested in committing their limited resources to this transformative effort.

1. Sarah Faye Cohen
Managing Director / Open Textbook Network
open.umn.edu
The libraries' role in open education
(the holiday version!)
We can and we should

2. This is about a journey.

5. Course Reserves

6. Course Reserves
• Students looking for textbooks
• Faculty meeting that need
• The library cultivating relationships
with faculty and students through
reserves
• Long lines
• Too few copies
• Too many copies for the library’s
space
• Desk ”traffic patterns”

7. Operationally, we
“fixed” the problem.
Policies
Processes
Communications
Facilities
Feedback

9. “There’s an open education
conference in Vancouver, BC. You
should go.”

10. “There’s an open education
conference in Vancouver, BC. You
should go.”

11. “There’s an open education
conference in Vancouver, BC. You
should go.”

13. Defining Open Educational Resources
Hewlett Foundation Definition:
“OER are teaching, learning, and
research resources that reside
in the public domain or are
released under an intellectual
property license that permits
their free use and repurposing
by others”

15. That’s where I met Dave Ernst.

16. $2,000
$3,000
$4,000
$5,000
$6,000
$7,000
$8,000
$9,000
1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
US Higher Education Funding - $/FTE
State Funding Tuition Revenue
http://www.sheeo.org

17. $400
$500
$600
$700
$800
$900
$1,000
$1,100
$1,200
$1,300
$1,400
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
$Billions
US Debt
Consumer Revolving Credit Student Loan Debt
Federal Reserve http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/Current/

18. 0%
100%
200%
300%
400%
500%
600%
700%
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
%Increase Increase in Textbook Prices
Textbooks CPI
Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/cpi/

20. Open Content
OER

23. How does open education fit into the libraries’ landscape?

25. The cost barrier kept
2.4 million
low and moderate-income college-qualified high
school graduates from completing college in the
previous decade.
The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED529499.pdf

26. A Lens Into Libraries

27. Open is “disruptive” to libraries

28. open = permissions  free

29. open = permissions  free

31. open = permissions  free
copy mix
share keep
edit use

32. open = permissions  free
The 5 Rs: revise
retain remix
reuse redistribute

35. open = permissions  free

36. Library resources are not “open”, only
“available” within your institution.

37. -25%
25%
75%
125%
175%
225%
275%
325%
375%
425%
1986 1989 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010
%ChangeSince1986
Source: ARL Statistics 2010-11 Association of Research Libraries, Washington, D.C.
*Includes electronic resources from 1999-2000 onward.
Graph 2
Monograph and Serial Costs
in ARL Libraries, 1986-2011* Serial
Expenditures
(+402%)
Monograph
Expenditures
(+71%)
Monographs
Purchased
(10%)
www.sparcopen.org

39. Libraries risk their “stamp of approval”
• OER and authority, reliability,
sustainability.
• Information Literacy & Instruction
• Research materials
• Relationships
• Metrics

42. How does open fit into what libraries already do?

43. How does open fit into what libraries already do?
• Scholarly Communication
• Institutional Repositories
• Information Literacy Curriculum
• Instruction and Outreach
• Access Services
• Interlibrary Loan
• Reserves
• Collection Development and Collections Management
• Electronic Resources Management
• Cataloging, Indexing, Metadata

44. Leverage our expertise
• Organizing information and
making it accessible

46. Leverage our expertise
• Organizing information and
making it accessible
• Leverage libraries’ work thus far

47. Leverage our expertise
• Organizing information and
making it accessible
• Leverage libraries’ work thus far
• A trusted resource and bridge to
faculty

48. Collaborate deeply with faculty.
• Actualize librarians’ deep interest in creative and innovative
pedagogy.
• Realize the potential of the 5Rs.
• Use OERs in the flipped classrooms, as well as inquiry based learning,
problem based learning, active learning.
• Stimulate tangible partnerships with Centers for Teaching and
Learning, Instructional Designers, Distance Education, and more.

49. Leverage our expertise
• Organizing information and
making it accessible
• Leverage libraries’ work thus far
• A trusted resource and bridge to
faculty
• Surface information habits of
users, especially students

50. Integrate open into current and new instruction
• ACRL Framework: Threshold Concepts
• Open’s potential to address many of the TCs:
• Format as process
• Authority as Constructed and Contextual
• Information as commodity
• Assessment opportunities:
• Creation and modification with students using open content would allow
libraries to provide direct assessment /artifacts of student learning and
achievement in these TCs.

51. Build connections to:
• ACRL's strategic direction
for libraries:
• expressing the value of libraries,
student learning, and active
participation in the research
and scholarly environment.
• Intersections in Scholarly
Communication and
Information Literacy
• Other open initiatives (OA,
open data, knowledge
commons, etc).

52. There is still much to be done.
• Accessibility
• Discovery
• Integration
• Tools for editing, authoring,
metadata
• Metrics
• Preservation
• Outreach
• What else?

60. Open Textbook Network
The Open Textbook Network is an alliance of colleges and universities committed
to access, affordability, and student academic success through the use of open
textbooks.

62. Open Content
OER
Open
Textbooks

63. Why Textbooks?
• Hits a major pain point – textbook costs
• Faculty understand textbooks
• Faculty know how to adopt textbooks
• Faculty effort (vs. alternatives) is kept at a minimum
• Textbooks can provide content for a complete (or nearly complete)
course

64. What are your next steps?

65. We need YOU (and your friends)
• You are leaders on your campus.
• You work with and support
faculty on your campus.
• You share resources, options,
ideas, and tools with faculty.

66. -OER: email/meetings/+
-Outreach to champions (especially by liaisons).
-Partnership with student government.
-Online guides (instructors, students).
-OER listserv/learning community.
-Webinars/workshops (e.g. using and adapting).
-Adopter profiles (articles, videos).
-Mini-grants to encourage adoption
-What else?

67. “Open education is about increasing student
achievement, inspiring passion among faculty, and
building better connections between students and
the materials that they use to meet their
educational goals.”
– Quill West

68. Thank you!
@thesheck
@open_textbooks
sfcohen@umn.edu