Open Textbook Library attracts partners in other states

An Open Textbook Library developed in the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) has caught the attention of Minnesota’s neighbors. The North Dakota Legislature’s Higher Education Funding Committee is considering a plan to train faculty members across the North Dakota University system to use free online textbooks, like those available in the library, in place of traditional books. It would provide a significant cost savings and convenience for students.

David Ernst, CEHD’s chief information officer, led the development of the library, which provides free, open-source, peer-reviewed, high quality textbooks that also allow faculty to customize the textbooks to better meet their students’ needs. Several CEHD faculty have adopted open textbooks. Ernst has also worked with many other institutions, such as Purdue University and Oregon State University, to develop open textbook initiatives.

The interest in open textbooks and the visits to the library are steadily growing, said Ernst. There have been more than 167,000 visits to the library since it opened in 2012, but interest in the last six months has taken off (click on graph below).

Read more on the North Dakota proposal.

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