Engaging Faculty and Reducing Costs by Leveraging Collections: A Pilot Project to Reduce Course Pack Use

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Academic libraries have the privilege of serving many roles in the lives of their institutions. One role that is largely untapped is their ability to actively leverage their collections to support faculty teaching and to reduce student out-of-pocket costs by eliminating systemic double payment for course materials. DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM/SERVICE This paper details a project by the Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office (SCCO) at the University of Toronto that aimed to reduce this systemic double payment by leveraging collections and electronic reserves to provide a new service, the Zero-to-Low Cost Courses. Building on existing relationships with faculty, SCCO staff reached out to potential candidates, identified library licensed materials in their printed course packs, and created digital course packs which students could use at no cost. NEXT STEPS This article shares the results of the project and explores next steps in using existing library resources to actively reduce student course costs.

Avoiding the “Axe”: Advancing Affordable and Open Education Resources at a Midsize University

“…. Similar to the one used at the University of Toronto (Cancilla, Glushko, Orfano, & Slaght, 2016), this service allows faculty to reduce or eliminate the costs associated with commercially produced course packs. To be eligible for this program, faculty must currently be using a readings-based course pack (e.g., one that contains articles and book chapters) that students are required to purchase and must agree to use the university's learning management system (LMS) to make readings accessible to students in subsequent semesters.…”

An accessibility-first approach to online course readers

“…In 2012, the University of Toronto adopted its Fair Dealing Guidelines in response to updates in the Copyright Act and a new licensing fee from Access Copyright (Cancilla et al, 2017).…”

“…Access to the readings can be provided in several waysthrough course packs, inlibrary course reserves and onlinebut we must bear in mind that the method of delivery will impact some students' ability to access and engage with the material (Langer, 2009). Libraries have been experimenting with online course reserves since the early 1990s (Bosseau, 1993); however, the motivation has tended toward improving student ability to easily gain access to high-use material or to save money (Cancilla et al, 2017;Tabacaru and Hartnett, 2017).…”