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Category: Open Education News

Top 3 Tips for Faculty Planning Course Readings for Fall

Posted July 8, 2025

Putting the finishing touches on your fall reading lists? Consider our top 3 tips for making readings more accessible and affordable for your students: 1. Shorten check-out periods for high-demand items: For physical and digital library materials that are in […]

Award-Winning JMU Libraries Employees for 2024-2025

Posted May 9, 2025

Please join us in celebrating the JMU Libraries employees who won JMU awards this year!  Open Education Librarian: Liz Thompson Liz Thompson, the Open Education Librarian, is the 2025 Distinguished Service Award winner for the JMU Libraries.  This award recognizes a […]

Announcing 2025 Recipients: Summer Stipend for Transitioning to Open Educational Resources

Posted May 2, 2025

Congratulations to the five JMU faculty members who were recently awarded JMU Libraries’ summer stipends for transitioning to open educational resources (OER)! The awardees will teach their redesigned courses in the 2025-2026 academic year.  JMU Libraries’ Summer Stipend for Transitioning […]

Worried About Textbook Costs? MyMadison Shows Courses with No-Cost or Low-Cost Course Materials

Posted March 27, 2025

Students, did you know that when you are enrolling in courses, you can filter your course search for those with low-cost or no-cost course materials?  If the total cost of textbooks for a course is $40 or less at the […]

piggy bank sitting on a stack of books

10 Ways to Celebrate Open Education Week

Posted March 3, 2025

It’s Open Education Week (March 3-7), and we’re celebrating because free and equitable access to information is at the core of what we do. This celebration also reminds us to share how you can help make education more affordable and […]

JMU Textbook Initiative Leads to Student Savings and College Affordability

Posted March 3, 2025

In 2023, JMU formed a task force to address rising textbook costs by promoting the use of Open Educational Resources (OER), which are free, accessible materials that faculty can customize for their courses. The team of representatives from across the […]

Open Educational Resources Address College Costs (from JMU News)

Posted March 2, 2025

The cost of classroom books and supplies has proven to be a serious problem for some students. Open Educational Resources prioritize accessibility, affordability and quality of course materials.

2 JMU Faculty Awarded Grants to Create Open Textbooks 

Posted February 18, 2025

Two JMU faculty members were recently selected as recipients for the statewide Open Course Grants program:  Here’s what Dr. Johnson had to say: “‘I wrote Dear Computer for many reasons. To save students money, to clarify and organize my own […]

More Dynamic Leadership Library Makes Its Debut

Posted January 28, 2025

The School of Strategic Leadership Studies (SSLS) has partnered with JMU Libraries to transform their Leadership Instruments Library (LIL) into a more accessible, user-friendly, and evolving resource for leadership scholars and researchers. Originally a collection of static PDFs, the LIL […]

Facing the High Cost of Textbooks (from JMU’s “Being the Change” podcast)

Posted January 27, 2025

Librarian Liz Thompson and Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Malika Carter-Hoyt discuss how Open Education Resources in the JMU Libraries are helping students find alternatives to paying the high price of some textbooks and course materials.