Library guides: Open Resources: Finding OERs

SCU library OER collection

A great place to start is SCU library's OER textbook collection which has been organised into sub-categories by subject area. This collection has been curated and reviewed by SCU Librarians.

OER collections

There are many search platforms and collections where you can search for OERs. Below is a list of the most relevant ones:

Use the filters/limiters to search by subject area and material type where available. Always check the licensing conditions to make sure the resource fits into the OER category and always give credit to the creator.

CAUL OER Collective Catalogue
OERs published through the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) OER Collective
Open Textbook Library
A comprehensive library with over 1000 open textbooks. Search by keyword or browse by subject.
OpenStax
Peer-reviewed textbooks, some of which are already being used at SCU.
Pressbooks Directory
Directory for the Pressbooks networks.
BCcampus Open Ed
Find textbooks and full course material packages.
OER by Discipline Directory
The BCcampus Open Education OER by Discipline Directory lists a wide range of open educational resources organized by discipline. This directory is updated as new resources are identified. Note that textbooks in the B.C. Open Textbook Collection are not included in this directory.
MERLOT
MERLOT provides access to curated online learning and support materials and content creation tools, led by an international community of educators, learners and researchers. Try an advanced search by ISBN of a commercial textbook.
OER Commons
Use advanced search for a more targeted search or browse resources and collections by subject area and/or material type.
OpenBook Publishers
An open access academic press that publishes peer-reviewed monographs, edited collections, textbooks, critical translations and more.
The Mason OER Metafinder
A federated search platform for OER content. Use 'Document Type' limiter on the results page to find books
Open Textbooks e-campus Ontario
This library provides educators and learners with access to more than 1,200 free and openly-licensed educational resources
LibreTexts
Choose a discipline through the "Explore the libraries' function.
Toronto Metropolitan University Public Domain Core Collection
The Public Domain Core Collection consists of over 50 titles of classic public domain works. Titles include Frankenstein, Little Women, The Great Gatsby, and many more.

Planning your search

It is useful to plan how you will search for OER before you start investigating. Consider:

what topic or subject area are you looking for OER on?
what kind of OER will be most suitable (e.g. open textbook, lecture notes, videos)?
what keywords and synonyms relate to your broad topics of interest?

Once you have identified these needs you can create a search strategy. See the Library's guide.

Note: Many OER search tools have limited functionality so use broad keywords and topics. Your search may not be as advanced as if you were using a Library database (e.g. Ebsco or Scopus).

This information is adapted from CAUL Open Educational Resources Professional Development Program: Foundations © 2024 by Council of Australasian University Librarians (CAUL), licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence.