Open Textbooks
An open textbook is an integrated course-associated learning tool that is in the public domain or has been open-licensed by the copyright holder to permit re-use without the necessity of asking permission of the copyright holder. Open textbooks are free or inexpensive on the web and modestly priced for downloads, use on eReaders, or in bound format.
Some of the platforms shown here host the textbooks and encourage reuse and customisation of the works for specific courses. Others, like the Community College Consortium of OER and The Orange Grove (Florida) act an as aggregator for texts on other sites. The latter has a section on texts suitable for K-12 education.
Most of the textbooks have Creative Commons (CC) open licences or GNU - Free Document Licence. Others are U.S. government documents in the public domain. Many other textbooks are free to view online but are NOT OPEN for reuse and customisation. See Copyrighted Digital Textbooks for a list of learning content without open licences.
OpenStax is a nonprofit based at Rice University, and it’s our mission to improve student access to education. It began in 2012 and now has 20 books suitable for college and AP courses. Subjects include Mathematics, Science, Social Sciences, Humanities and AP.
CK-12 provides online textbooks (Flexbooks), as well as an interactive learning environment, specifically targeted to a school audience. Courses compliment the Common Core Curriculum (U.S.A) and STEM learning, but they can be helpful as study aids.
FlatWorld shatters the traditional publishing model, delivering textbooks that meet the highest standards at a fraction of “big publisher” prices. Covers the subjects of Business & Economics; Health & Wellness; Mathematics & Statistics; Chemistry & Geography and Humanities and Social Sciences.
Teach Astronomy is an astronomy learning tool, intended either as a supplement for classroom instruction or for informal learners. It includes an online textbook, images, videos, podcasts, Astrobites and a glossary of terms.
MERLOT is a program of the California State University and has the largest collection of open textbooks. This link takes you to a list of disciplines. You can filter the results using the menu on the left of screen. Subjects covered include Academic Support Services, Arts, Business, Education, Humanities, Mathematics & Statistics, Science & Technology, Social Science and Workforce development.
WASLA Teacher Librarian of the Year- 2017: Jo-Anne Urquhart
- 2016: Lise Legg