Looking for a good book to read during the summer? Recently I came across some interesting new publications on social media channels. These recent open access publications may get you thinking of new practices, theories, and services to consider for your community!

Marking Open and Affordable Courses: Best Practices and Case Studies edited by Sarah Hare, Jessica Kirschner, and Michelle Reed

This new book is a “practical guide for institutions navigating the uncharted waters of course material markings, summarizing relevant state legislation, providing tips for working with stakeholders and analyzing technological and process considerations.” The book provides useful case studies drawing on the experiences of library workers in community colleges to state universities. One key strength of this book is the policy and state legislative findings relating to open educational resources (OER). By understanding the financial and legislative implications of OER, library workers supporting OER can devise strategies to engage with stakeholders based on policy mandates.

Open Pedagogy Approaches: Faculty, Library and Student Collaborations by Alexis Clifton and Kimberly Davies Hoffman

Interested in open pedagogy and open access issues? “Open pedagogy or OP is classically defined as an instructional approach that engages students in using, reusing, revising, remixing and redistributing open content.” This book provides a useful framework in thinking about OP and how to consider the OP model to support student learning and access to affordable texts. The unique feature of this book involves key collaboration among faculty, students, and library workers, and their case studies are helpful in providing examples of setting up OP in the curriculum.

Instruction in Libraries and Information Centers: An Introduction (forthcoming) by Laura Saunders and Melissa Wong

This new exciting book by two experienced instruction librarians covers a variety of topics including theories of learning, teaching online, assessment, and more. It will be useful for all library workers interested in instructional practices in all formats. In addition, the “text takes a critical approach to pedagogy and emphasizes inclusive and accessible instruction.” For those who are preparing to be instruction librarians or need guidance on online teaching strategies, I would recommend checking out this book when it comes out next month in an open-access format!

Why We Stay Home: Suzie Learns about Coronavirus by Samantha Harris, Devon Scott, and illustrated by Harriet Rodis

I recently saw this book featured on the PBS Newshour. This children’s book by a team of medical students is a short and simple story that teaches the impact of COVID-19. According to the authors, the information on COVID-19 is ever changing, so it’s important to break down what COVID-19 is, in a way that children can understand.

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