As we approach the Fall 2020 semester, library staff are working hard to provide alternative access to our print textbook collection, and we are developing new approaches to how we acquire course textbooks. With many courses being offered solely online, and with students having limited access to campus, we are doing all we can to leverage our existing electronic resources and to purchase new ones with faculty input.
Unfortunately, this work is hampered by textbook publishers who do not provide electronic purchasing options for libraries. Approximately 90% of course textbooks for the Summer 2020 term were unavailable to the Library in any format other than print. Many textbook publishers have built their profit models around selling e-textbooks directly to students and do not allow for institutional purchase. We also understand that the cost of textbooks and other course materials can represent a major financial hurdle for students at Humber College.
Despite the Library’s commitment to provide access to required textbooks and course materials to assist students who are unable to purchase their own, the following publishers will not allow us to purchase an e-textbook version of their publications:
- Pearson
- Cengage
- Milady
- Houghton
- McGraw Hill
- Oxford University Press Canada (Textbook Division)
- Emond
- Elsevier imprints including:
- Elsevier Health Science
- Mosby
- Saunders
- Thieme
For courses that have adopted textbooks by these publishers, students who do not purchase the textbook will not have any alternative access to the textbook content.
We are working with faculty to explore and identify viable textbook alternatives, including:
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Using an existing eBook in the relevant subject area from the library’s eBook collection or exploring the purchase of new eBook titles as recommended by faculty. There are many academic e-books that aren’t considered textbooks and are therefore available for the Library to purchase.
-
Adopting an open educational resource (OER). OERs are freely available educational materials that are openly licensed to allow for re-use and modification by instructors.
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Creating a Course Resources Page:
- Course Resources Pages include links to library database articles, eBooks, streaming video and web content.
- They are designed to be uploaded to Blackboard and can be organized by week or topic.
- The Course Resources team can also assist with acquiring access to articles not available through our databases and knowing what content can be uploaded into Blackboard and made available to students under Humber’s Fair Dealing policy.
For more information on these options, please contact your liaison librarian.
Thank you to our colleagues at University of Guelph Library for allowing Humber Libraries to adapt their statement.