Sustainable Library Publishing: Opportunities and Challenges in Creating an Open Textbook Publishing Program

KIPJ EF

As the rising cost of textbooks continues to burden students, many libraries have begun to facilitate the creation and publishing of Open Educational Resources (OER). In 2013, with the support of a Provost-backed initiative Portland State University Library developed an open textbook publishing program. In three years Portland State University Library has published 10 open access textbooks, successfully completed a 2nd round of open access textbook publishing, and is in the process of putting together another call for proposals. The presenter will discuss the opportunities and challenges of creating a library publishing program. In addition to discussing launching an open access textbook program with limited resources in terms of staffing and funding, the presenter will focus on lessons learned and publication strategies. The presentation will share how the library combined the open access values and project management resources of the library with the book production expertise of the Ooligan Press, a graduate program teaching press affiliated with PSU. Open textbook creation best practices, author testimonials, impact on students and workflows will also be shared.