Textbooks are expensive. Therefore, they have been targeted early on from the Open Access movement.
The Open Access Textbooks Grant Project is a project with the goal to “create a sustainable model for Florida and other states to discover, produce, and disseminate open textbooks.” Open Access Textbooks wants to create a sustainable open textbook model and a network to enhance free access to textbooks. According to Open Access Textbooks, the model consists of the following sections:
- The Project – An Overview
- Getting Started
- University Press of Florida Book Acquisition
- Promoting Authorship
- Promoting Adoption
- Sustaining a Reliable Revenue Stream
- References and Appendixes
“This open textbook model is designed to develop and test a set of processes and strategies to establish a statewide open textbook initiative intended to reduce textbook costs for students and increase recognition of faculty for open access publishing as a scholarly activity. The results of this approach will be evaluated and a set of guidelines will be the result. As the academic and business worlds interact and change, new opportunities and challenges arise. The open textbook model is intended to be sufficiently adaptable to embrace new opportunities and meet new challenges.”
Global Text Project is another initiative with the goal to promote open textbooks – worldwide. Much like the Open Monograph Press from the Public Knowledge Project, it offers the infrastructure to publish those textbooks. But there are also downloadable textbooks in the sciences and social sciences available.
“The project will create open content electronic textbooks that will be freely available from a website. Distribution will also be possible via paper, CD, or DVD. Our goal initially is to focus on content development and Web distribution, and we will work with relevant authorities to facilitate dissemination by other means when bandwidth is unavailable or inadequate. The goal is to make textbooks available to the many who cannot afford them.”
Flat World Knowledge is a publisher of Open Access textbooks.
“We are the world’s largest publisher of free and open college textbooks. With our ever-expanding catalog of top quality books by expert authors, now is your chance to be a hero and help your students save thousands of dollars. Get started today and join the textbook affordability movement.”
The Student PIRGs (Public Interest Research Groups) “organize college students to solve some of the world’s most pressing public interest problems.” One of their projects is “Make Textbooks Affordable”.
“Textbook prices are increasing every semester, so the time to take action is now. Although no one can solve the problem single handedly, we can all play a part in reducing the cost of textbooks. We have students and faculty members working on the campaign at over 100 colleges, but we need all of the help we can get!”
Here is how Students can take action, and here are suggestions for action for Faculty.