Utilization of Open Educational Resources in Teaching and Research in Academic Libraries: A Review of Literature

Abstract

Academic libraries occupy a central position in the discovery, curation, and dissemination of Open Educational Resources (OER) within institutions of higher learning. As digital scholarship expands and the cost of commercially published textbooks and journals continues to rise, libraries are increasingly called upon to build the infrastructure, skills, and advocacy needed to embed OER into teaching and research practice. The present review investigates the application of OER in academic library contexts. It draws on current literature to identify the functions of libraries in the promotion of OER, the provision of technical and copyright advice in this connection, and the forming of policy on the OER at the institutional level. The review also looks into the factors that impede the use of OER by libraries, especially in developing countries. Some of the factors include poor staff capacity and lack of infrastructure as well as awareness among educators and learners. The authors come to a conclusion that if academic libraries have necessary resources and clear policies, they can effectively contribute to making educational materials available to a large audience through OER initiatives.