v28 #5 Why Should Librarians Be Involved in Facilitating Access to Content Needed for Courses? | Against The Grain

"The librarian’s role in assisting faculty with identifying high-quality course content should certainly not be underestimated.  As we take more active roles partnering with faculty members on their current course content, over time this may open up additional opportunities to move the needle in more community and open directions.  Library-as-Publisher initiatives and an increasing role of Open Educational Resources (OERs) in higher education allow librarians to move beyond the purchase and delivery services into that of a publishing partner and intellectual property proponent.  These close working relationships might allow for the substitution of OERs for traditional textbooks over time.  Emerging research is being performed on the use of OERs and how they contribute positively to student success (Robinson et.al, 2014).  As more research is completed on OERs and linking cost-effective course content with student success, including initiatives from Lumen Learning (http://lumenlearning.com/) and Robinson et al.,  librarians may be able to create assessment programs for our collections that directly impact curricular goals.  Building library assessment around courses, such as explicitly serving the needs of specific courses, can be a measure of how we serve the community.  E-textbooks could be the gateway to more direct support of library collections as part of the curriculum.  Perhaps we would not need to be as concerned with storing multiple editions of the same text, which can take up feet of space on our shelves, and could thus be more involved in ensuring easy access to affordable print-on-demand and electronic resources."