Open educational resource policy considerations and recommendations: Arguments for library involvement

Abstract

Open Educational Resources (OER) have the potential to provide great benefit to those both in, and outside of, higher education. With financial pressure existing for both students, and libraries, OER could be uniquely positioned to alleviate some of this strain. This paper examines the role OER policy plays in the development and use of OER in the context of the 2019 UNESCO OER recommendations for Ireland as well as the impact policy, or lack thereof can have on an institutional level. Librarians and the librarian skill such as in knowledge and experience in navigating copyright, licensing issues, intellectual property, rights and discoverability, can be greatly beneficial to the creation, publishing and storing of OER but several barriers exist including awareness, staffing, skills, time and institutional culture. This paper discusses policy concerns and considerations and makes arguments for librarian involvement and illustrates areas in which librarians skills can be leveraged. Inequality, access, accessibility and the common ethics that underpin both Open Education and librarianship are key considerations, and are discussed throughout.