Certainly, much has been written about Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Access Textbooks (OAT) to be specific. Textbooks have become more expensive as the price increases exceed the rate of inflation. Publishers are in business to make money, but I really think they are ripping off students. What bothers me is the constant updating of textbooks in basic subjects. For example, the recent 14th edition of University Physics by Sears and Zemansky costs about $200. This basic textbook was first published in 1949. Does basic physics change over a short period of time? I can understand some revisions, but by issuing newer versions the publishers stifle the used textbook market.
Open Access Textbooks is one way of helping students to save money. However, it is not a panacea. Is the quality of OATs as good as that of traditional sources? At least students would not have to schlep them from home to school J.
What should be the role of librarians in this movement? They should always disseminate information about printed and electronic resources to those who need them. Thus faculty in all discipline should be made aware of the OER option. Librarians never should tell faculty what textbooks to use but should make them aware of all the options.
