Research Guides: Affordable Learning Materials Initiative (ALMI): Find Affordable Materials

Find Open Textbooks

OpenStax This link opens in a new window Open Textbooks. Peer-reviewed. Openly licensed. 100% free. Many textbooks are also backed by additional learning resources. Review OpenStax textbooks and decide if they are right for your course. Simple to adopt, free to use. OpenStax makes it easy to improve student access to higher education.
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Open Textbook Library This link opens in a new window Free, openly-licensed textbooks every student can access and afford. Open textbooks are textbooks that have been funded, published, and licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed. OTL books have been reviewed by faculty from a variety of colleges and universities to assess their quality. OTL books can be downloaded for no cost, or printed at a low cost. All textbooks are either used at multiple higher education institutions; or affiliated with an institution, scholarly society, or professional organization. The OTL collection currently includes 793 textbooks, with more being added all the time. The Open Textbook Library is supported by the Center for Open Education at the College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, as well as the Open Education Network.
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LibreTexts This link opens in a new window
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A growing collection of open textbooks, text maps and interactive tools that can be used to create new and free textbooks. An alternative to expensive course materials, these texts include material that students need to succeed without the added cost. Please note that adopting these books may require additional work on the instructor's part,.

Textbook Revolution (index of OERs)
Open SUNY Textbooks Open textbooks published by the State University of New York system. Subjects: Business, General Education, Humanities, Science, Social Science.
University of South Florida Open Textbooks Curated by the University of South Florida. Subjects: Children's Literature, Journalism, Math
WikiBooks Collection contains over 3,000 books that are managed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Many subjects; may be edited by anyone.
Saylor Academy Open Textbooks Nearly 100 free and open textbooks. May be available via the Open Textbook Library or OpenStax with a more recent copyright year. If you find a worthy candidate, we suggest checking the OTL for a newer version.
Opendora (Minnesota State) A small (but growing) collection of open access textbooks with various creative commons licenses

FAQ About Open Textbooks

How do I find time to adopt an open textbook?

That is a great question! While it does take time to review and select open textbooks, choose sections to include in course readings and amend or edit texts to meet your students’ needs, the library is here to help you on your journey. We can assist you in searching the vast collection of open books and identify resource from our subscribed/purchased ebook collections that support your chosen textbook.

Are these books any good?

Only you can decide whether an open textbook meets your students’ learning objectives! Most books in the Open Education Network (OEN) include detailed reviews from instructors at other colleges and universities. Also, there is a review process for a book’s inclusion in the OTN

Can students (or faculty) order a print copy?

While all open textbooks may be downloaded and printed at will, OpenStax books may also be purchased in bound (printed) format. There are also online services like lulu.com that offer lower cost book printing/binding.

Are ancillary materials available?

Some books – particularly OpenStax books – include ancillary materials like quizzes and homework assignments. Another source is the OER Commons, which allows for subject and education level searching.

Is switching to open textbooks mandatory?

Participation in the Open Textbook movement is completely voluntary! If you already have a textbook that works well for you and you do not have time to explore other options, you are under no obligation to switch of lower cost learning materials. Just know that the library is here to support you and answer your questions as we try to provide equitable education for all students!

Find Other Types of Open Teaching Materials

MERLOT (California State University system)
OER Commons (ISKME)
OpenStax Community-Curated Teaching Resources
Search the blog title listing for your subject (ie. Anatomy and Physiology, Psychology, Economics, etc.).
Course Source
A collection of open access teaching resources for Biological Sciences

Find a Vast Array of other OERs on our Subject-Specific LibGuide

OER - Open Educational Resources
by Amy Sonnichsen Last Updated Sep 9, 2024 26 views this year

Find Subscribed or Owned Resources in the MSMU Libraries' Collection

Quick Search | MSMU Libraries This link opens in a new window A discovery tool that can help you search many of the MSMU Libraries’ databases at once. With just a single keyword search, Quick Search can retrieve hundreds of thousands of books, articles, videos, dissertations, and more. It is a great way to start your research before you move on to more specific sources and databases.
NOTE: It searches most, but not all of the libraries’ subscription databases as well as some open access content. Use your MSMU credentials to access Quick Search from off campus.

Quick Search is built on the product EBSCO Discovery Service.
WorldCat Discovery This link opens in a new window Worldcat Discovery offers another way for patrons to search for books and articles. Items located within MSMU Libraries' collection are linked. Items not in MSMU Libraries' collections include a button to request from another library. Library productivity tool
We recommend using in conjunction with QuickSearch.
MSMU Libraries Catalog This link opens in a new window
Use the MSMU Libraries Catalog to locate or request physical books on campus, course reserves, eBooks, print journals, and other materials.

Or ask the Electronic Resources Librarian for assistance.

When we license or purchase an eBook (or streaming film) for your class, we will send you the url within 48 hours. The url will include remote access prefixes and/or embed codes for Canvas integration.

We also provide URLs for specific articles - with remote access prefixes.

** Articles from the Wall Street Journal may be incorporated into course reading lists with WSJ in Context. Find out more with these brief webinars. **

Spreadsheets Containing Lists of Ebooks

Feel free to search the databases directly to find book titles.

Springer Nature DRM Free Textbooks in MSMU's Collection
You don't need to rewrite your textbook completely to make it affordable! Browse through and adopt one of the many books in MSMU's Springer Nature collection.
JSTOR EBA Book Collection
More DRM-free books
JSTOR Open Access Books

Additional Resources

SPARC
Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition

Affordable Learning Materials Initiative (ALMI)

ASK US!