The Iowa State University library offers several avenues for instructors to get help locating OER that are aligned with their course's needs.
The best place to start any project is to talk to your subject librarian! Every department at the university has a subject librarian who can provide support for your courses, research, and other information needs.
Your librarian can explore available open textbooks and free materials available through the library and identify if there is something already available that might meet your needs.
Complete the OER Consultation Request Form linked below to connect to our OER experts. Your answers to this simple, one-page questionnaire will help us understand your specific needs.
After your request form is received, the University Library’s Scholarly Communication Librarian, Abbey Elder, will review your request and begin identifying open textbooks, library materials, and other free materials that might meet your needs. She may reach out to ask for a copy of your syllabus, the titles of texts that have been required or recommended for your course in past semesters, and any OER that you have already reviewed for your course.
Once preliminary titles have been identified for your course and our team has had a chance to review your request in-depth, we will follow up with you to discuss the options for open, free, and/or affordable educational resources that could be a good fit for your course. In addition to identifying potential resources to adopt, at these consultations, you can get support:
By the end of this process, you will have identified next steps for evaluating materials, integrating them into your course, and reporting them to the campus bookstore.
The library's collections and services are available to all ISU students, faculty, and staff and Parks Library is open to the public.
