CloudSource OA screenshot

Five Things Public Libraries Should Know about Open Access

July 3, 2024

1. OA helps combat social media misinformation and bias. Social media is the most popular news source for American millennials, with more than 43% of TikTok users reporting daily news consumption from that app alone. Thanks to social algorithms, information is easier to find than ever before, and it often comes with the bias and … Continue reading Five Things Public Libraries Should Know about Open Access


Academic Insights by Willa Liburd Tavernier

Community Creation

November 1, 2023

In a diverse local and global information ecosystem, maintaining community and trust is paramount, but increasingly difficult. Participatory processes and collective action can help address concerns and empower groups. Public open digital scholarship holds promise to achieve these ends. Below I highlight three of the Indiana University (IU) projects I have been involved in that … Continue reading Community Creation


Stephanie Robertson, assistant professor and outreach librarian at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, speaks at the “It’s Not Either/Or!: How to Include Open Access Materials to Transform Curriculum and Collections” session at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago June 25.

Blending Open Access and Traditionally Published Materials

June 25, 2023

“I think that to have a collection that is high-quality and has the layers of complexity you would expect from a collection, you need both OER and traditionally published materials,” said Robertson, assistant professor and outreach librarian at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, in the “It’s Not Either/Or!: How to Include Open Access Materials to Transform Curriculum … Continue reading Blending Open Access and Traditionally Published Materials


The MERGE Cube AR STEM toy works with a smartphone.

Tech Trends

March 1, 2019

American Libraries spoke with three library tech leaders—panelists from the Library and Information Technology Association’s Top Tech Trends panel at the 2019 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits—about what apps, devices, software, and best practices their libraries have implemented and how others can, too. Explore immersive technologies Libraries haven’t fully explored the potential of virtual reality (VR), … Continue reading Tech Trends



Librarian's Library: Karen Muller

Information Access for All

June 1, 2018

Let’s start with Revised Standards and Guidelines of Service for the Library of Congress Network of Libraries for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, 2017, from the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). Developed by the Library of Congress and ASCLA, these supersede the 2011 standards. … Continue reading Information Access for All


Open Educational Resources

Open Educational Resources

September 1, 2017

A natural fit “Librarians, by nature, curate resources,” says Jennifer Scotten, library media specialist at South Middle School in Lawrence, Kansas. Those curation abilities make librarians invaluable for implementing OERs, which can be overwhelming for first-time users browsing a seemingly endless catalog of online resources. For Kelly Hart, a 7th-grade English and language arts teacher … Continue reading Open Educational Resources


(L-R): Regina Gong, Nina Exner, Merinda McLure, Sarah Crissinger

Open Educational Resources for Science Liaisons​

June 26, 2017

OER is a learning object, shared under an intellectual property license, that facilitates the 5 Rs: retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute. David Wiley of Lumen Learning created the 5 Rs, and they serve as the foundation of any OER initiative. Crissinger also introduced the concept of Open Pedagogy, which asks students to be involved in the … Continue reading Open Educational Resources for Science Liaisons​


At the Open Textbook Network’s Summer Institute, members build community and address obstacles to advancing open educational resources on campus. Photo: University of Minnesota

Pushing for Open Textbooks

May 31, 2016

But with prices skyrocketing—the cost of textbooks has increased 73% since 2006, according to a 2016 report by the Student Public Interest Research Groups—some libraries and networks are using creative incentives to get OERs into the classroom. Texas A&M University Libraries, in partnership with the school’s student government, has established what it believes to be the … Continue reading Pushing for Open Textbooks