The Problem with Textbooks:
- Runaway textbook costs on college campuses have become a major impediment to student success
- Textbook costs have outpaced inflation by 300% over the last 30 years
- LMU students spend an average of over $1,000 per year on textbooks (1)
- 63% of students have forgone purchasing or renting college textbooks because of cost, according to a 2019 PIRG survey of 4000 students nationwide (2)
The Open & Affordable Textbook Initiative (OATI) is designed to help LMU faculty identify and adopt high-quality, flexible, accessible, and low or no-cost course materials for our LMU students using OER and library resources.
This guide contains information about Open Educational Resources, LMU Library resources suitable for course adoption, and information to help with discovery, evaluation, and use of alternative course materials. It is intended as a starting point, and we encourage faculty interested in the initiative (or those already doing this work!) to get in touch with your librarian liaison. This is also a work in progress. If you have suggestions for additional information that would make the guide more helpful, please let us know!