Jeremy Smith, Digital Project Manager at the UMass Amherst Libraries, contributed to a recently published book titled OER: A Field Guide for Academic Librarians.

The book “is a perfect primer for anyone working with open educational resources (OER) on a university or college campus,” says Smith. “OER are teaching materials (textbooks, syllabi, readings, course outlines, slides, notes, videos, workbooks, lab manuals, etc.) that are released with an open, non-exclusive, copyright. The book contains an amazing amount of useful real-world examples from knowledgeable faculty, instructional designers, librarians, and advocates.”

Smith contributed to two chapters in the book. “Open Partnerships: Identifying and Recruiting Allies for Open Educational Resources Initiatives,” a chapter written by Smith and fellow collaborators Rebel Cummings-Sauls, Matt Ruen, and Sarah Beaubien, “addresses working with campus partners like students, administration, faculty, fellow librarians, instructional designers, etc. to develop a successful OER program.” Smith also wrote a solo chapter, “Seeking Alternatives to High-Cost Textbooks: Six Years of The Open Education Initiative at the University of Massachusetts Amherst,” in which he “discusses the history of the UMass Amherst Open Education Initiative, which began in 2011 and offers grants to faculty to adopt, adapt, or create OER.”

The book itself is open access, made available under a creative commons license for free download. Smith believes that this is an opportune moment in academia for such a guide to be published.

“As OER becomes increasingly popular on colleges campuses in the United States as well as the world, it is important for new practitioners to have a resource that gives them the tools to mount a successful OER effort on their campus,” he says. “The book can also be a resource for people on campus who wish to address issues around college affordability, student success and retention, and revolutionary pedagogical practices.”

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Call for submissions! Undergraduate Sustainability Research Award

Deadline: February 22, 2019

All currently enrolled undergraduate UMass Amherst students, part or full-time, are eligible. Submit your project here.

Papers, theses, design and multimedia projects, and art that present research of a sustainability topic (environmental, social, and/or economic) will be accepted. The first prize recipient will receive a $1,500 scholarship, and two second place winners will receive $750 scholarships. Winners will be honored at a spring sustainability event in the UMass Amherst Libraries.

Applicants must be nominated by a UMass Amherst faculty member. Projects created from spring 2018 through fall 2018 may be submitted for review.

The award promotes an in-depth understanding of sustainability topics, research strategies, and the use of library resources, providing participating students with vital skills they will carry into future academic and vocational endeavors.  The award is funded by the UMass Amherst Libraries’ national award-winning Sustainability Fund.

Winners of previous awards are accessible in the Sustainability Student Showcase on ScholarWorks, the University’s digital repository.
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For more information, contact Madeleine Charney, Research Services Librarian, 413-577-0784, mcharney@library.umass.edu.

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You spoke; we listened! Based on your feedback, in partnership with Information Technology, we're refreshing part of the Learning Commons in the Du Bois Library:

The UMass Amherst Libraries are pleased to announce that Simon Neame, Dean of Libraries, has been elected President of the Boston Library Consortium (BLC).

Founded in 1970, the BLC is a community of academic and research libraries in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire that fosters interlibrary collaboration, innovation, and sharing of resources.

“I’m honored to be elected President of the BLC for a one-year term,” said Neame. “The BLC provides access for our faculty and students to the rich collections of research libraries across New England, as well as opportunities for UMass Amherst Libraries’ staff to participate in a diverse range of professional development programs.”