My name is Eric, and the way we say “hello” in my corner of the world is to say hi - but often, to start talking about weather or wildlife without any hello at all!
I work for the University of Alberta Library in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Open Education has been part of my career in libraries from the beginning, though my current work on it is limited to a team I spend project time on - even so, I’ve been helping create open education resources or giving students access to free textbooks since I started!
As for a personal experience… Interesting question. On a personal level outside of work, I am polyamorous with a marriage lasting over 15 years and another relationship lasting five years - neither would have been possible without openness.
I’m here largely for one question, which will never be answered fully: I’m doing an environmental scan for a local government to determine how they should invest in OER in our area, but I’m also interested in learning about successful (and failed) OER projects in an ongoing sense.
I believe the UofA Library has the capacity to be doing more, it just needs to be sold the right projects in the right ways!
Thank you for reaching out. Just to clarify, are you looking for examples of successful and unsuccessful OER non-textbook projects, along with possible OER initiatives that could be good candidates for local government investment and potential library support?
Thank you Eric for not only joining the OEG Connect community but also jumping in with a new topic/question. Let’s show (as @Strable has aleady done) how this community can support each other in discussions here.
As a note, Eric sent me his question directly as an email. I like to make a case that my knowledge is a sliver of that of the collective experiences here and as well I recommended always to ask to a bigger group (and suggested as well he ask in the CCCOER Community email list). If I just answer him by email, it leaves out others who might be interested in the responses.
from the University of Cape Town (South Africa). We updated the entry there with some updates and stats shared. from our colleagues there, and that certainly seems to meet your criteria.
I also will be repeating myself much over the next few months to encourage everyone to start thinking about people, programs, projects worth recognizing for the 2026 OE Awards - anyone can make a nomination, and is a valuable act in supporting open education.
But please, I hope others can suggest for Eric some stand out examples of OERs that have sustained value over a long time.
Hello! Sorry for the late reply - I was dealing with some cat related surgeries. All is well for the felines though!
Strable - non-textbook projects is exactly what I have in mind, and thanks for asking for the clarification! I think the UofA has done a pretty good job supporting OER creation, but with possible provincial funding or revitalization of a central OER model like one of our neighboring provinces has, I’m interested in things outside textbook creation.
cogdog - Yes, thank you for the list! A number of these have been very eye opening, and I’m excited to share my findings with my team and our government contact. I’m sure this comes as no surprise, but these projects all demonstrate a need for long term funding or considerations, not short term injections of funding!