November 5, 2020

This year, as part of the Libraries’ Open Access Week activities, Larry Milliken, Manager for Scholarly Communications, reached out to faculty and staff to find out why Open Access is important to them and to get their best advice for colleagues interested in Open Access publications.

Discover what just a few Drexel faculty had to say!


 

I think it only fair that when the taxpayer is paying for the research, that, at the end, they get the benefit for free. It is really quite simple.

--Michel Barsoum, Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Drexel University

In the time of COVID-19, it is more important than ever to focus on the student experience. Like many of us, students are under extra stress. If there is any way to reduce student stress, we should all strive to do so. Many student families are under financial stress right now, and textbook costs can add up in a hurry.

Even a small savings can make a big difference in a student budget strained to the breaking point. Open access textbooks can cut textbook costs to zero—a huge difference.

The beauty of OA textbooks is that, in addition to the relieving financial stress, they can also improve student academic experiences. Most professors struggle to find one or a small number of sources for their courses. With OA, you can become an aggregator of some of the best sources available. Many OA sources will let you select just those portions of texts that are best suited to your course and combine them with other sources and any original materials. That way, the materials you provide to your students can fit their any your academic needs better than just about any “off the shelf” textbook. And the issue of textbooks becoming immediately out of date as soon as they are published disappears. Many OA sources are frequently updated, and you may update many of them as needed. What’s not to like?

--Doug Baird, Director, Curricular Innovation and Student Success, Drexel University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies

Learn more about the Drexel Libraries’ strategic initiatives to provide cost-effective, equitable access to authoritative information on our website.