openaccess | WiLS

Feb 19

SPARC Releases OER State Policy Playbook

In January, SPARC released the OER State Policy Playbook, a new resource to support state-level advocacy in the U.S. The Playbook provides policy recommendations for state legislators interested in tackling college affordability through Open Educational Resources (OER).

As academic libraries increasingly become the go-to OER experts on campus, librarians are well positioned to provide state lawmakers, government relations offices, and administrators with recommendations on OER state policy. This resource is intended to be given directly to legislators, state policy leaders, and university government relations officers. The recommendations can act as a framework for someone new to OER or be used to update legislation that has been filed in previous sessions. The Playbook also includes tips and other language to consider when writing OER policy.

We think this would be a great resource for anyone advocating for the state-wide adoption of OER (COW, we’re looking in your direction) or people going to Library Legislative Day this week. It’s short, succinct and full of great suggestions. Have a look today!

Feb 2

Two Great Open Ed Announcements in One Post!

First, did you know that there is a Special Interest Group in WLA called COW?

It’s the Community for Open Wisconsin, and, I am their WLA Board liaison! COW is a very new group and is hoping for more members from across the Wisconsin Library spectrum. If you want to learn more about COW and their goals for a more open Wisconsin, please contact Bob Butterfield of UW-Stout ().

Second, as the COW liaison, Kris Turner () is excited to invite you, on COW’s behalf, to attend the upcoming “E”ffordability Summit from March 26-27 at UW-Stout.

More information about the Summit can be found on their website: https://effordabilitysummit2018.jimdo.com/.

This Summit is a great opportunity to learn more about collaboration, sharing and creativity, all in the name of helping out our student patrons. And guess what: there is no cost to register!

Jan 11

“E”ffordability Summit 2018 Announced

The Call for Presentations and Registration is open for University of Wisconsin-Stout‘s “E”ffordability Summit for “anyone concerned with the cost of educational materials.” Read more about the “E”ffordability Summit programs, submit a presentation by February 1st, and register to attend by February 15th! The Summit will be held March 26-27.

https://effordabilitysummit2018.jimdo.com/

Jan 4

Libraries, Presses, and Publishing Survey

In July of 2017, a team of researchers carried out an ARL SPEC Survey. The survey gathers information on the breadth of practice taking place at the intersection of research libraries, presses, and publishing, and on the blurring of boundaries as libraries engage in publishing and press activities in new ways. We haven’t had a chance to absorb it yet, but want to share the survey itself and a webinar put on by the authors with anyone interested in this large and growing part of what libraries do.

Dec 27

Peter Suber on BOAI 15

The Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) turned 15 years old this year. As 2017 comes to a close, Richard Poynder, a scholarly communication journalist, asked the following question of several leading voices in the movement: “what should the stakeholders of scholarly communication be doing now to fully realise the vision outlined at the Budapest meeting?”

We’re still reading many of the responses, but wanted to point out that 0f Peter Suber, philosopher, professor and Open Access advocate. Suber is Director of the Harvard Office for Scholarly Communication, Director of the Harvard Open Access Project, Senior Researcher at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, and widely regarded as the de facto leader of the open access movement. Suber’s response is thorough, wide-ranging and comprehensive. It’s broken down into advice for researchers, institutions, librarians and even publishers. It’s well worth a read!

Dec 22

Alverno Open Reserve Textbook Collection

In a recent article in College & Research Libraries News, Alverno College librarian Dolores Skowronek described a new pilot project being undertaken by the library. A recent survey indicated that 62% of Alverno seniors had gone without a textbook due to cost. The library wanted to try to help students with textbook affordability.

As Skowronek points out, “offering Open Educational Resources (OER) and other textbook alternatives would be ideal, however, advocating for campus-wide acceptance and implementation of OER can be a lengthy and time-consuming process.” So, in order to offer immediate relief from the financial burden of expensive textbooks, Alverno librarians chose to offer a physical textbook collection.

We think this is a great idea worth sharing. While WiLS is strongly in favor of OER initiatives, we recognize that there can be obstacles to implementation. Skowronek’s article details their process in building this collection as a step in the right direction towards helping students with this urgent need. It’s also yet another great example of just how important the campus library is!

Dec 21

Roundup of Statewide Textbook Affordability Initiatives

Library Collaborations AND Open Educational Resources? There’s so much here to love! In a recent Library Journal article, Steven Bell identified just a few of the exciting initiatives being undertaken in other states to promote state-wide acceptance of open educational resources. It’s a quick but inspiring read with ample links to the initiatives themselves. It’s certainly worth reading as similar conversations are happening here in Wisconsin.

Dec 20

OCUL Whitepaper on Open Educational Resources

The Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) recently announced the availability of its white paper on Open Educational Resources (OER).

The white paper was written in response to increasing OCUL membership interest in OER and potential roles for libraries in this endeavour. From September 2016 until October 2017, an OCUL OER working group undertook an environmental scan and analysis of current activities in open education publishing in North America, with a focus on the province of Ontario.

The white paper focuses on the current teaching and learning environment for both university students and faculty; an environmental scan of national and international OER initiatives among libraries; survey results and analysis of OER as carried out by OCUL member libraries; and a primer on OER and open publishing terminology.

You may read more about this initiative, plus download a copy of the white paper, from the project webpage on the OCUL website.

Jun 19

WiLSWorld Shorts: Open Educational Resources

On Friday, June 16th, Annie Baumann of Viterbo University joined us to present our second WiLSWorld Short on Open Educational Resources. It was a fascinating look into the work that her library is doing to promote adoption of OER resources in order to save students money on textbook fees. If you weren’t able to join us, you’re in luck! We recorded the session and present it here for your viewing enjoyment!

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