Susan Walker, associate professor emeritus in the Department of Family Social Science, recently launched Critical Perspectives on Technology and the Family (University of Minnesota Libraries). The work is an open textbook free to use under a Creative Commons license and can be exported as a PDF and e-reader.

“The book was written primarily to serve as a text for FSOS 3105 [Families and Technology], but can naturally serve a wide range of purposes,” Walker says. “Instructors can use it as a reference, select chapters, and find ways to present material. The book covers topics from technology use by children and teens, parents and children, couples and dating apps, work and family, and more. The intention is to provide a balanced view of the research as well as multiple ways to learn, including applied activities, prompts for blogging and additional reading.” So far, Walker says, members of the general public have expressed gratitude to have such an easy to read source on this topic. 

Dr. Walker loved her experience publishing with the U of M libraries. Offering an easy to access, free and Creative Commons book aligned with her ethics for sharing material. The U of M’s Library Course Materials Services headed by Shane Nackerud made the process seem seamless. They provided resources for copy editing and gathering permissions and skillful guidance on content delivery. 

For more information about the book please contact Susan at skwalker@umn.edu.