Melissa Falldin of University of Minnesota and Karen Lauritsen of Open Textbook Network have just released the first iteration of their guide to Authoring Open Textbooks.
The guide is a resource for anyone involved in making open textbooks–faculty, librarians, instructional designers and others–whether for higher ed or K-12. It includes materials designed to simplify the process for new open textbook creators as well as tools, resources and case studies that even the most experienced practitioners will find useful.
The book covers textbook organization, academic editing style recommendations, open textbook licensing, institutional considerations and author intake questions, among other aspects of open textbook creation.
This guide reflects the experience of many people working in open textbook writing and publishing, including authors and librarians. “Authoring Open Textbooks features case studies from several institutions in the Open Textbook Network, as well as adaptable materials that users can customize for their own institutional contexts,” said Karen Lauritsen, director of publishing and collections for the Open Textbook Network. Together with co-author Melissa Falldin, an instructional designer at the University of Minnesota, they plan to update the guide as community experience continues to grow.
Contributors to the first edition include:
- Karen Bjork, Head of Digital Initiatives, Portland State University Library.
- Caitie Finlayson, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, University of Mary Washington.
- Dianna Fisher, Director of Open Oregon State.
- Linda Frederiksen, Head of Access Services, Washington State University, Vancouver.
- Ralph Morelli, Professor, Computer Science, Emeritus, Trinity College.
- Shane Nackerud, Technology Lead, Library Initiatives, University of Minnesota Libraries.
- Deb Quentel, Director of Curriculum Development & Associate Counsel, Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI).
- Cody Taylor, Emerging Technologies Librarian, University of Oklahoma Libraries.
- Anita R. Walz, Open Education, Copyright & Scholarly Communications Librarian, Virginia Tech.
Authoring Open Textbooks was built on the Rebus Press and received support from the Rebus Community to find contributors.
We hope you’ll check out Authoring Open Textbooks, and help us spread the word about the guide to others who might benefit from its insights.
Want to make #opentextbooks? Here’s what you need to know! @mathsandarts @melissafalldin http://buff.ly/2o3sxZu