Questions?
If you have any questions, or if you would like more information, please contact:
Ellen Phillips - Director, Open Educational Resources & Intellectual Property, e.phillips@snhu.edu (603.652.1900)
License Information
All original content in this guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 This link opens in a new window International License. 3rd-party content including, but not limited to images and linked items, are subject to their own license terms.
What is an Open Textbook?
An open textbook is an openly-licensed textbook offered online by its author(s). The open license sets open textbooks apart from traditional textbooks by allowing users to read online, download, or print the book at no additional cost.
For a textbook to be considered open, it must be licensed in a way that grants a baseline set of rights to users that are less restrictive than its standard copyright. A license or list of permissions must be clearly stated by the author.
Generally, the minimum baseline rights allow users at least the following:
- to use the textbook without compensating the author
- to copy the textbook, with appropriate credit to the author
- to distribute the textbook non-commercially
- to shift the textbook into another format (such as digital or print)
Many authors also grant rights such as:
- to add, remove or alter content in the textbook, often on the condition that derivative works must have the same license
- to copy and distribute the textbook without giving credit to the author to use the textbook commercially
Quick Reads
- Authoring Open Textbooks: A Guide for People Who Want to Make Open Textbooks This link opens in a new windowThis guide is for faculty authors, librarians, project managers and others who are involved in the production of open textbooks in higher education and K-12. Content includes a checklist for getting started, publishing program case studies, textbook organization and elements, writing resources and an overview of useful tools. By Melissa Falldin and Karen Lauritsen
- Modifying an Open Textbook: What You Need to Know This link opens in a new windowThis is a five-step guide for faculty, and those who support faculty, who want to modify an open textbook. Step-by-step instructions for importing and editing common open textbook file and platform types are included.
Search Open Textbooks
- Open Textbook Library This link opens in a new windowIncludes a broad selection of peer-reviewed and openly-licensed textbooks, including accounting & finance, humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and more. The Open Textbook Library is supported by the Open Textbook Network based in the Center for Open Education in the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development.
- OpenStax This link opens in a new windowOpenStax publishes high-quality, peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks in a broad range of subject areas.
- BC Open Campus Textbook Project This link opens in a new windowFree open textbooks for courses in arts, sciences, humanities and business
- OER Commons This link opens in a new windowOER Commons indexes a wide variety of openly licensed educational materials. Licenses vary by item.
Search instructions: Under "material type" select "textbook" or for a curated collection go to: https://www.oercommons.org/hubs/open-textbooks - Saylor Academy Bookshelf This link opens in a new windowThough Saylor Academy's main efforts go towards creating open and online courses, they have open textbooks searchable by subject.
- Open Book Publishers This link opens in a new windowUK-based OBP publishes hardback, paperback, pdf and ebook editions that include a free online edition that can be read via their website, downloaded, reused or embedded.
- MERLOT This link opens in a new windowMERLOT stands for Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching. This resource has thousands of materials, including lesson plans, activities, tutorials and more. Create a username and login to keep track of your favorites.
- Directory of Open Access Books This link opens in a new windowNearly 2,500 openly accessible electronic books with a focus on humanities and social sciences
- Saylor Academy TextbooksThe open textbooks on this page include several titles published through Saylor Academy’s Open Textbook Challenge and a collection of titles re-published by Saylor Academy