The University of Regina OER by Subject Directory

The Open Educational Resource by Subject Directory is a joint collaboration between the University of Regina OER program and Archer Library that began in fall of 2020. Initially created as a cloning project by OER coordinator Isaac Mulolani, the project began as a smaller venture to create a resource of academic resources already being utilized by Canadian universities. Similarly, library staff led by Cara Bradley had created three Research Guides or LibGuides to assist researchers, staff and faculty in their search for open textbooks and similar resources. Divided into three sections, the library resources are still available in the following format on the Research Guides section of the website: Open Textbooks, Open Educational Resources, and Open Access.

In conversation between the two units, Isaac approached staff at the library in efforts for collaboration. The root idea was to create a single one-stop-shop for any individual looking for further research resources in their discipline, to see what open textbooks were available for their current classes, to learn about the possibilities in creating online texts and cloning, and learn of the benefits of a program like PressBooks. Isaac created the initial clone from Concordia University, and along with User Services staff member Arlysse Quiring (Archer Library), the project began.

The merge has not been without challenges as resources were sorted, filtered, updated and cross referenced. What began as a collaborative idea became a significant merging of resources and teams. As the project continued to grow however, it became apparent that the purpose and end-goal of the document was exemplified by its creation. While the LibGuides and other OER will remain available to campus staff, students and faculty, this resource will be the starting point for anyone interested in OER.

This guide is designed to help University of Regina faculty easily discover open educational resources (OER) for their courses. It is primarily a list of open textbooks organized by faculty and department at the University of Regina, but other OER such as videos may also be included. The guide will be continuously updated as new resources are identified and created across the OER ecosystem.

The Marrakesh Treaty entered into force in September 2016, faster than any other international copyright text in the last 40 years. It promises to remove some of the key barriers to access to information by people with print disabilities.

Yet the Treaty will only be effective, where it has been incorporated into national law, when libraries and others are using it. Not all librarians feel confident in dealing with copyright law, potentially leaving users without the access they need.

This guide, edited by Victoria Owen, and with the welcome support of the World Blind Union, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, Electronic Information for Libraries, and the Unviersity of Toronto, offers answers to frequently asked questions. It can also be adapted by national actors to their own laws – IFLA encourages this, in order to get the largest possible number of libraries involved.

Project Management for Instructional Designers Project Management for Instructional Designers (PM4ID) is a textbook about project management tailored specifically for instructional designers, intended for use in graduate programs in educational technology. This book is based on a pre-existing openly licensed textbook donated to the commons by a benefactor who desires to remain anonymous. It has been collaboratively revised and updated by students and faculty at the University of Saskatchewan.