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Reserves: OER and other Options

Open Education Resources and Zero Textbook Course Sites

Open Educational Resources (OER) are learning, teaching, and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under copyright and have been released under an open license. This license permits no-cost access, reuse, repurpose, adaptation, and redistribution by others.

Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) resources, created by instructors and provided to students at no cost, primarily comprise content accessible through library subscription e-resources. These are augmented by materials created by instructors, openly available resources, works in the public domain, and student-generated content.

Brooklyn College makes OER/ZTC resources available through educational platforms such as LibGuides, Academic Commons, Blackboard, Manifold, and Pressbooks. Benefits include:

  • Stipends for instructors creating or adopting OER range from $500 to $2,500; awards will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
  • Support is available from technology specialists and librarians.
  • Textbooks are provided to students free of charge. Interested?
  • Complete this quick interest form: https://bit.ly/4cA1quN

Save Money on Textbooks

CUNY maintains a useful Textbook Savings page that lists less expensive textbook options, including used books and textbook rentals.