Library as Publisher: The Story of Open SUNY Textbooks

textbooks.opensuny.org

Leah M. RootWeb Developer, Milne Library, SUNY Geneseo

rootl@geneseo.eduTwitter: @rootleah

https://textbooks.opensuny.org/https://www.geneseo.edu/library

• Alexis Clifton• Allison Brown• Bill Jones• Laura Murray• Kate Pitcher• Mark McBride• Cyril Oberlander• Hugh McGuire• Brad Payne• Corey Ha• Clint LaLonde• Brandon West

META KUDOS

• Ned Great Islander• Steel Wagstaff• Dac Chartrand• Antonio Colomet• Bracken Mosbender• Sarah Cohen• Charles Key• Angela Galvan• Nate Angell• Tony DiFranco • Mark Sullivan• Rajiv Jhangiani, Ph.D

Celebration: Our 21st textbook

https://textbooks.opensuny.org/naming-the-unnameable/

What we are using now

• Submission and service requests: • WordPress

• GravityForms plugin

• Peer Review and Editing: • Pressbooks

• Google Docs

• Design and Layout: • Pressbooks

• PRINCE PDF (the only $$$$$$ proprietary software)

• Candela Citations plugin

• WP-Quick LaTeX plugin

• H5P

What we are using now

• “Public Facing” sites: • WordPress

• https://textbooks.opensuny.org

• https://minerva.geneseo.edu

• Tracking/Metadata/Internal organization: • WordPress + Pressbooks

• Home-coded custom data fields

• Home-coded scripts and functions

• API + JSON to share data across sites

• PHP + MySQL• Home coded parser script + database

Why the Library as Publisher?

Libraries provide this service, regardless of whether the author is a famous writer, family genealogist, or student writing a paper.

Cyril Oberlander, Library Publishing Toolkit

Why the Library as Publisher?

• Metadata creation and management

• Scanning and processing digital info

• Support of Teaching

• We can (and do) support the visibility of faculty scholarship –and we should BUILD on that

Kate Pitcher, Value of Open Educational Resources & Open Textbooks, SUNYLA.org

Why the Library as Publisher of Open Textbooks?

“I think what we're really facing here is a social justice issue because we have so many students who are coming from social and economically challenged backgrounds...

And to expect them to pay that full freight for a textbook, when they aren't able to put food in the refrigerator or pay the rent, I think you know we have to take a good look in the mirror in and ask ourselves if we are comfortable keeping that model in existence. Especially if there is a pathway to change.”

Mark McBride, Digital Day 2016 Keynote Address: Open Educational Resources

Student Success

Source: The Future is Open: Enhancing Pedagogy via Open Educational Practices ,

Rajiv Jhangiani, Ph.D@thatpsychprof

Source: https://devops.com/devops-its-all-open-sources-fault/

Open Source

Open Source

2012:The Pilot

Source: Open Textbook Publishing & Adoption :Cyril Oberlander, David Harris, David Ernst

Open Opportunities

Source: Library Strategies: For sustainable open education adoption and publishing ,Kate Pitcher, SUNY Geneseo

We wore many hats

Source: https://www.ittoolkit.com/how-to-it/operations/what-is-IT-management.html

Source: https://www.ronrosenstock.com/blog/

Publishing Model

Faculty Authors Library Publishers & Faculty Peer Reviewers

Open Textbook

Technical Model: Not so smiley

Faculty Authors Library Publishers & Faculty Peer Reviewers

Open Textbook

Errors, Errors, Errors

Statistics:

We had to prove we were supported and needed, in order to prove we needed support

Source: The Internet, circa 1997

WordPress 5-ish minute install

Source: makeameme.org

Demo WordPress site as proof of concept

https://textbooks.opensuny.org/how-we-got-from-there-to-here-a-story-of-real-analysis/

Old URL

New URL & Title

Concept APPROVED /Challenge Accepted

Dancing Banana source: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/peanut-butter-jelly-timeFireworks source: giphy.com

Theme

Theme

https://textbooks.opensuny.org/the-missing-link-an-introduction-to-web-development-and-programming/

Taxonomy and Custom Fields (KEY to Metadataverse)

From Code to Cool Statistics

From Code to Cool Statistics

This is also cool

Analytics

Our Research and Information Skills Lab has adapted the book and is using it. This is a course that all freshmen are required to take. Thanks for all your hard work!

The new website looks very cool!

2015: Launch!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading, editing, and making recommendations on the manuscript I was provided and would welcome opportunities to do it again in the future.

Feedback

https://textbooks.opensuny.org/introduction-to-the-modeling-and-analysis-of-complex-systems/

Discovery: Social Justice

https://textbooks.opensuny.org/guidelines-for-improving-the-effectiveness-of-boards-of-directors-of-nonprofit-organizations/

PRESSBOOKS

PRESSBOOKS: Skeptical IT department is skeptical

Sources: imgflip.com; knowyourmeme.com. Hooligan (center) appears courtesy of his royal self. Photo credit: Amy’s Natural Photos.

PRESSBOOKS: Solution

Source: makeameme.org

PRESSBOOKS: OLD SCHOOL COOL INSTALL

OLD SCHOOL COOL

J.O.T.S computer,Battleship New Jersey.Photo: Leah Root

Library as Publisher

https://textbooks.opensuny.org/concise-introduction-to-logic/

Library as Publisher

These books can be found at:http://minerva.geneseo.edu/

Meanwhile: Getting Attention

2017: SUNY OER Services

Fully Fledged Service Provider: Now with an office

SUNY OER Services: Books and Courses

Source: Digital Day 2016 Keynote Address: Open Educational Resources, Mark McBride, Library Senior Strategist at SUNY System Administration

Enter the Metadataverse

Background Photography: Keith Walters, http://www.keithwaltersphotography.com/Metadata logo: code4lib.org, techrepublic.com, charlizeart, elsewhere. Sorry, Lars.

Discovery: We need STANDARD metadata

?????

API and metadata – to our sites and beyond

Downloads

322,979

$6,100,0002017-2018

53,3222017-2018

432017-2018

322,979 Downloaded booksfrom Open SUNY Textbooks since February 1, 2015

Library as Publisher

These books can be found at:http://minerva.geneseo.edu/

Library as root of SUNY OER Services

Library as Publisher: The Story of Open SUNY Textbooks

textbooks.opensuny.org

Leah M. RootWeb Developer, Milne Library, SUNY Geneseo

rootl@geneseo.eduTwitter: @rootleah

https://textbooks.opensuny.org/https://www.geneseo.edu/library

Appendix 1: Explaining Open Textbooks

Open Textbooks: Ownership

Source: Creative Commons

Review, Reuse, Remix, Rebuild

Access and Print

$$$

Source: The Future is Open: Enhancing Pedagogy via Open Educational Practices ,

Rajiv Jhangiani, Ph.D@thatpsychprof

It’s for Free! (or cheap)

(or super cheap)

Students want Open Textbooks

Source: Open Textbook Publishing & Adoption :Cyril Oberlander, David Harris, David Ernst

Appendix 2: Technical Stuff

Explaining EPUB

OpenSUNY Textbooks explanation of EPUB:https://textbooks.opensuny.org/open-suny-textbooks/recommended-apps-readers/

International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) standards for EPUB:http://idpf.org/epub

Analytics: Custom Combined Download Counts

Analytics: JOIN the fun

WordPress API – Test Success

Workflow

Our Metadata

Custom Fields to Metadata via WordPress

Metadata to JSON via WordPress API

JSON to Parser to human-readable/shareable data

Appendix 3: Discoveries

Feedback

Discovery

● Majority of readers are

still using traditional desktops

or laptops to view publications

● Windows most popular OS

for desktops and laptops

● Apple iOS most popular

OS for mobile devices

● Phones are used more than tablets

Discovery

PDFs still more popular than EPUB

● Possibly because people are still downloading

and reading with ‘traditional’ computers

(desktops and laptops)

● PDF readers are more commonplace

and often already installed in traditional computers

and mobile devices

● Possibly because EPUB

is still not a widely understood format so misunderstood?

Appendix 4: SUNY OER Services

Meanwhile:Getting Attention

Organizational challenges

Source: YouTube

SUNY OER Services:We have an Executive Director and an Advisory Board!

Share and organize data amongst our SUNY campuses – NOTE $ saved

Fully Fledged Service Provider

SUNY OER Services: $$$

Library as Publisher

https://textbooks.opensuny.org/the-history-of-our-tribe-hominini/

Library as Publisher

https://textbooks.opensuny.org/music-and-the-child/

These books can be found at:http://minerva.geneseo.edu/

Library as Publisher