Low Cost and Free Textbook Alternatives: Introduction

This guide for instructors explains the effects of high textbook prices on student success and offers guidance on finding and evaluating free textbook alternatives and other open educational resources.

CSUSB Affordable Learning Solutions

The CSUSB Affordable Learning Solutions Grant encourages faculty to discover, adopt, and assign low- or no-cost, quality educational materials for their courses. Visit the CSUSB ALS webpage for regular updates on the yearly grant. Contact Email affordablelearning@csusb.edu or Cary Barber, Ph.D
ALS Coordinator for more information .

Open Access Books Toolkit

OAPEN: Open Access Books Toolkit

This toolkit aims to help book authors to better understand open access book publishing and to increase trust in open access books. The OAPEN Open Access Books Toolkit covers specific topics related to open access books. Each article offers a quick and brief introduction to a particular aspect of open access book publishing. The toolkit also serves as a signposting tool: articles include a list of sources referenced, further reading and links to definitions of key terms.

Other OER resources

For more information on OER resources beyond textbooks, see our Open Textbooks and Open Educational Resources (OER) Guide.

Sample of free OpenStax textbooks

OpenStax books offer numerous benefits, primarily focused on affordability and accessibility for students. They are free to access online, and can also be downloaded in PDF or purchased as low-cost print copies. This eliminates the financial barrier to education often associated with traditional textbooks. Furthermore, OpenStax books are developed and peer-reviewed by educators, ensuring quality and alignment with standard curriculum requirements. OpenStax also provides resources for Instructors and has partnered with many homework companies to offer Lowcost homework packages for students.

Find other OpenStax books available in the CSU Libraries catalog by searching "OpenStax ", or see the full range of texts offered at OpenStax.org.

Scholarly Communications Librarian

Jennifer Beamer

orcid.org/0000-0001-6887-6568

Email Me

Contact:

Subjects: Copyright and Fair Use, Open Access, Open Education Resources, Research Skills, Scholarly Communication

Why do we need alternatives to conventionally published textbooks?

According to a 2018 survey of students at public colleges and universities in Florida, the high cost of textbooks impacts student success in a variety of ways:

Furthermore, in a 2020 report from the Student PIRGs, out of 4000 students surveyed from over 80 institutions, 25% reported having to work extra hours to afford course materials, 19% made course decisions based on the cost of materials, and 11% went without meals in order to afford course materials. 90% of these students worried that their grades would be affected by not having required course materials.

Benefits of using online open texts, besides cost:

Most open texts can be adapted to fit your specific course and assignment needs.
Open texts can be updated or supplemented periodically to keep up with new developments in the field.
If your textbook is online, you can start using it from the first day of class: no need to provide extra time for students to buy a copy!

See also this literature review of empirical studies on the effects of use of OERs, including open textbooks.

Evaluating free textbook alternatives

Free textbook alternatives, just like conventionally published textbooks, vary in quality. The directories listed below each have a mechanism for reviewing textbooks to be included.

Jennifer Beamer PhD the CSUSB Scholarly Communication Librarian can help you locate alternative textbooks that might be options for your class.

Interested in an all inclusive textbook package see InclusiveAccess.org Is automatic textbook billing inclusive? Decide for yourself.

Finding free textbook alternatives

The books found in the directories below can be read online for free, and many can also be downloaded in various formats. Most are made available under a Creative Commons license that allow you to redistribute it and possibly even modify it for your own use. Be sure to check the terms of use for the specific book you are using.

Instructors may wish to download a book and make it available through Canvas to ensure that a link to an online version does not break during the semester. If you do so, please indicate the CC license that is included with the book on your Canvas site.

Directory of Open Access Books
The DOAB is an online directory of high-quality, peer-reviewed books published in open access format.
eLangdell Bookstore (CALI)
Free, peer-reviewed, CC-licensed books and other materials on law and related topics from the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI)
OER Commons
This directory includes all sorts of open educational materials (not just textbooks) for all audiences. The "discover" and advanced search features let you limit to textbooks and choose an educational level.
Open Educational Resources: Open Textbooks (Leeward Community College)
A guide to open textbook resources in a variety of subject areas.
Open Textbook Library
All books included in the Open Textbook Library are known to have been adopted outside the author's institution or are published in affiliation with an institution, scholarly society, or professional organization. All are available for download and are licensed for reuse.
Oxford Open
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the largest university press in the world and a major publisher of academic journals, both in the sciences and the humanities. OUP is also one of the first university presses to publish an open access journal and currently maintains a number of publications that fall under open access, which users can peruse through the link. OUP also offers a limited number of monographs for open access as well.
Pressbooks Directory
Provides a searchable index of openly available books published across all Pressbooks networks.These books may be adopted as is or imported into our local Pressbooks platform for adaptation. There is a printable guide and an interactive tour on the site as well.
SpringerNature Open Access eBooks
A downloadable list of hundreds of OA eBooks spanning science, technology, medicine, humanities and social sciences are available through SpringerNature.
Using Pressbooks Directory (video)

Instructors may wish to download a book and make it available through Canvas to ensure that a link to an online version does not break during the semester.

Want to create your own open textbook?

If you would like to to create a textbook and make it free to read online and free to download, with or without a creative commons license:
The CSU Chancellors Office hosts a tool called Pressbooks. Jennifer Beamer can consult with you on setting up Pressbooks set up for faculty use. A sample of an Pressbooks textbook can be seen here: Fundamentals of Business (2018).

Here are some other resources that could be helpful:

BC Open Collection
BC Open Collection has created some useful guidelines for those considering adapting or creating their own open textbooks.
LibreTexts
LibreTexts offers easy-to-use online platform for the construction, customization, and dissemination of open educational resources (OER), including existing OpenStax textbooks.
OER Commons
OER Commons offers Open Author for creating textbooks, plus tools for creating interactive lessons and modules.
Open Education Network
Includes resources on authoring and adapting open textbooks, as well as videos and resource links on OER adoption.
Open Modernisms
This site allows scholars of modernism to build custom anthologies or coursepacks, hosted on this website, of out-of-copyright primary materials.
Rebus Community
You can find collaborators for creating an open textbook through the Rebus Community.
Rebus Community: Office Hours
A series of YouTube video discussions of issues related to adopting, adapting, or creating open textbooks and other OER.