Library Guides: Open Access : Open Textbooks

Open Textbooks FAQ

Can I put part of a textbook in my course package?

Yes—as long as it respects the Centennial College Fair Dealing Policy for Copyright-Protected Work. Keep in mind that you can freely use and modify content from Open Access (OA) textbooks, which is especially useful for online courses open to students from other institutions.

But are open access materials like textbooks of lower quality?

No—more and more colleges and universities are adopting open access resources to help students save while providing a quality education at the same time. Read more about institutions in the United States adopting the OA textbook framework at the Education Commission of the States.

Find Open Textbooks

eCampus Ontario
In partnership with BCcampus, and in the footsteps of other provincial online learning centres like OpenEd Manitoba, eCampusOntario has created this new virtual Open Textbook Library, established to offer learners a repository of resources which are licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed.
OpenStax
Find openly licensed, peer-reviewed, 100% free textbooks that are also backed by additional learning resources.
College Open Textbooks
The College Open Textbooks Collaborative, representing 29 educational non-profit and for-profit organizations and affiliated with more than 200 colleges, works to drive awareness and adoption of open textbooks to more than 2000 community and other two-year colleges.
Open Textbook Library
This tool helps instructors find quality open textbooks—all textbooks in this library are complete and openly licensed.
Chemistry LibreTexts Library
The LibreTexts approach is highly collaborative where an Open Access textbook environment is under constant revision by students, faculty, and outside experts to supplant conventional paper-based books.