This page contains resources for faculty to explore and leverage reliable, quality curricular and supplemental materials when refreshing or developing courses. We want to showcase the content we subscribe to and purchase in support of teaching and learning on behalf of you and your students. Can’t find what you are looking for? We also have several repositories for you to use to publish your own curriculum materials.
Textbooks
How do I adopt a publisher textbook on this campus?
Verba
Verba was selected by Bowling Green State University as the software to handle the procurement and distribution of course materials. It is a course materials discovery and adoptions management platform that allows faculty to communicate content requirements and recommendations directly to students.
Library ebooks
The University Libraries subscribes to more than 100,000 ebooks from a wide range of publishers. This e-books LibGuide is a good starting point. Keep in mind: Some publishers are better to use than others based on the number of users who can access the ebook at one time. These publishers or platforms are a good place to start for simultaneous use: JSTOR, OhioLINK Electronic Book Center, Project MUSE, Wiley Online Library, Oxford Scholarship Online, SpringerLink
Where can I direct students for free access to the publisher textbook I’ve chosen for my class?
Library Reserves
Consider putting a copy or two on reserves in the Jerome Library for students to use for 2 hours, 24 hours, or 72 hours. In addition to books, we can put other types of materials on reserves too.
OhioLINK
Check OhioLINK to see how many copies are available. If there are multiple editions of the textbook you are considering, chances are pretty good that there will be even more copies of a previous edition. Be sure to let your students know which older editions are acceptable to use.
Are there any freely accessible (open access), quality textbooks out there for me to use with my students?
OpenStax
OpenStax is a nonprofit based at Rice University, whose mission is to improve student access to education by making available create high quality, peer-reviewed freely available textbooks that are written by paid educators and experts.
Open Textbook Library
The Open Textbook Library provides textbooks that have been funded, published, and licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed. These books have been reviewed by faculty from a variety of colleges and universities to assess their quality. These books can be downloaded for no cost, or printed at low cost. All textbooks are either used at multiple higher education institutions; or affiliated with an institution, scholarly society, or professional organization.
Teaching Commons
The Teaching Commons brings together high-quality open educational resources from leading colleges and universities. Curated by librarians and their institutions, the Teaching Commons includes open access textbooks, course materials, lesson plans, multimedia, and more.
I would like to author my own textbook and make it freely available to only students in my class or possibly to anyone who wishes to use it. Is there any support for that on campus?
ScholarWorks
ScholarWorks is a digital repository intended to showcase the scholarly and creative works of faculty and students. But, it also offers an infrastructure to implement open education initiatives, so students save money and you support retention efforts. Flexible tools let you publish open textbooks, course materials, and monographs.
Alternatives to Textbooks
How can I find articles (and other types of materials) through the University Libraries?
Browse the list of databases by subject.
How can I find videos through the University Libraries?
Browse the list of all of the video services the library subscribes to in support of the curriculum.
How can I integrate Library content into Canvas?
The easiest way is to simply find the persistent link for the online library content you wish to use.
Check out our LibGuide on Embedding Library Content into Canvas.
Local Repositories for hosting / publishing content
Avalon
Digital repository for video and audio.
Canvas Commons
Digital repository for instructional materials within Canvas.
ScholarWorks
Digital repository for hosting OER, journals, textbooks and more.
Need Additional Help?
For immediate assistance, use our Chat Service by visiting Ask Us! If you wish to speak with a librarian assigned to your area, consult the Services for Faculty page to identify your team leader. Andrea Boehme is the Library’s point person about the contents of this page. She may be reached at andboeh@bgsu.edu.
Updated: 08/23/2023 11:58AM