Supporting an OER Finding Service: Utilizing Past Experiences

Abstract

Abstract for CAPAL 2025 Conference: Are you exploring ways to support educators at your postsecondary institution with finding and adopting Open Educational Resources (OER)? Have you wondered what skills or experiences can be helpful when supporting Open Education initiatives in your library? Course materials have seen a shift in recent years within academic libraries as publisher and student behavior has changed. At the same time, there has been growth of advocacy, awareness, and institutional support for the use and creation of Open Educational Resources (OER) within higher education. The use of OER can help to address textbook affordability issues experienced by students, support initiatives around equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA), and be an alternative freely accessible and adaptable course material option for educators interested in developing their own curricular content. This presentation will highlight an OER finding service model, Open Course Material Matching Service (OCoMMS), based in Libraries and Cultural Resources (LCR) at the University of Calgary that reduces barriers and supports their teaching faculty and instructors discover potential OER for use in their courses or as the foundation for a new OER adaptation. Attendees will learn about what the Open Course Material Matching Service is, the workflows or steps taken following a request, and the staffing model used to support the service. Tied throughout will be strategies and connections to past experiences and knowledge that has been helpful in navigating the workflows of the OCoMMS service model and consideration of curricular needs and content. Attendees will come away with resources and strategies they may incorporate into their own OER finding service or adapt for library resource adoption services. Attendees will also have the opportunity to share their own practices and experiences that they have utilized for similar purposes in supporting educators with discovering library resources or OER to support learners.