+Open Educational Resources (OERs)

July 29, 2015 -- 2PM EST (1PM CST | 12PM MST | 11AM PST)
Open Educational Resources: Librarians as Advocates, Advisors, and Creators - Presented by Mary Ann Cullen
College textbooks have gotten so expensive that many students are opting not to buy the textbook at all, but are taking their chances at lower grades or resorting to work-arounds like sharing textbooks, photocopying from classmates, or finding illegal copies. An increasing number of educators are seeking alternatives to traditional texts, including open educational resources (OERs) and library resources. This webinar will introduce you to what OERs are (and aren’t) and how librarians can support this movement as advocates, advisors, and participants in creating OERs. While primarily directed at academic librarians and administrators, the information provided also applies to media specialists and public librarians who work with home schoolers interested in free and low-cost educational resources. 

About the Presenter:

• Mary Ann Cullen is the Director of Library Services for Georgia Perimeter College’s Alpharetta Campus and GPC Online. She first became involved with OERs in March 2013 after the college’s president challenged the faculty to find free or low-cost alternatives to traditional textbooks to help reduce costs for students. She participated in identifying, selecting and adapting an OER text for Freshman English, a project currently being expanded. Currently, she is working with science faculty on a project that uses readings from a library database in lieu of a traditional textbook.

Audience: Academic Libraries

Sources cited, mentioned, or used as examples, in the order in which they appear in the Carterette webinar. Many of these sources also appear elsewhere in this guide.

Using Library Resources Tutorials

OER Rationale

E-text examples

Finding OERS & Creative Commons Licenses

Librarian Roles

Advocacy/Learn More

Mary Ann Cullen photo - self

Cuniform tablet, book, e-book, group meetings - Microsoft clip art

Librarians as Superheros by Shelley Harris. Personal photo used by permission.

Librarians as Educators slides are a combination of Microsoft Clip Art and screenshots of various PowerPoint Presentations, including this one. :)