Tag:

open education

    New Subject Guide | Free Online Resources

    by Amy Southgate
    written by Amy Southgate

    Have you ever found yourself knee deep in researching a topic online when you come across something that sounds like a perfect fit, and then –BAM! –You run into a paywall? There is nothing worse than being so close yet so far from the information, or content, you need. Not everyone is able to, nor wants to, pay access fees or subscriptions, so what can you do?

    Good news intrepid learner! There is a growing movement among academics, libraries and others to make high quality information freely available! The trouble with finding these awesome resources is that it’s often buried in search results that prioritize for-profit companies; or obscured by swaths of disreputable sources. Luckily we are here to help with a new library guide full of Free Online Resources!

    The guide covers important definitions of different kinds of free online resources before moving on to seven pages of awesome resources divided by type. 

    Cortical neuron stained with antibody to neurofilament subunit NF-L in green.
    Available through Wikimedia Commons.

    Journals and Articles connects you with search engines and collections of millions of academic journals and articles covering a wide variety of subject areas. 

    Books collects repositories, publishers and university presses that make eBooks freely available – plus a free audio book distributor. 

    Media  reveals music, images and videos for your entertainment, or to use in your own creative projects without the pesky royalties. 

    Courses empower lifelong learners to explore new subjects or grow their skill sets with free classes from experts. 

    Data helps you come to your own conclusions and enhance your research with datasets from governments and researchers. 

    Self Help Legal Resources empowers you to untangle complex legal concepts and make sound decisions about important life decisions. 

    Open Educational Resources presents resources for teaching classes or for self study.

    OER Commons is one example of an OER platform linked to from our guide

    As you can see self-education never needs to stop, and can’t be thwarted by paywalls (or pandemic related library building closures)!

    What do you want to learn about? Remember you can always Ask Us for help finding free online resources to suit your needs.

    1 comment
    0 FacebookTwitterEmail

  • Now Open: Alberta’s Provincial OER Publishing Program!

    by Meredith Bratland
    by Meredith Bratland

    The University of Alberta Library and the Alberta OER Technology and Infrastructure Working Group are pleased to announce the new Open Education Alberta program. This no-fee provincial program seeks to eliminate barriers to adopting, adapting and creating open textbooks by providing Alberta post-secondary institutions with easy-to-use online publishing software. The University of Alberta Library will host and maintain the Pressbooks publishing software, and partner institutions will establish workflows and service models that…

  • Now Open! Library Publishing for Open Textbooks

    by Meredith Bratland
    by Meredith Bratland

    Alongside the University of Alberta’s mission of “For the Public Good” The University of Alberta Libraries is introducing an Open Educational Resources (OER) publishing program to increase access to and use of free and accessible textbooks and other learning resources. OER are teaching and learning materials that are accessible without cost and allow for free use, reuse and redistribution. OER often have a Creative Commons license that states specifically how the material may be…

  • We’re Still Excited about Open Education Week 2018!

    by Meredith Bratland
    by Meredith Bratland

    We don’t know about you, but we are still riding on the wave of excitement from Open Education Week last week! If you weren’t able to make it, you missed some great presentations and the opportunity to join us in recognizing some of the great work that encompasses the values of openness on our campus. These individuals have exerted passion and effort in pushing forward open resources in the face of barriers…