Library as Publisher: The Story of Open SUNY Textbooks
textbooks.opensuny.org
Leah M. RootWeb Developer, Milne Library, SUNY Geneseo
[email protected]: @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/
Technical Model: Not so smiley
Faculty Authors Library Publishers & Faculty Peer Reviewers
Open Textbook
Statistics:
We had to prove we were supported and needed, in order to prove we needed support
Source: The Internet, circa 1997
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
https://textbooks.opensuny.org/the-missing-link-an-introduction-to-web-development-and-programming/
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: 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: 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/
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.
$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 Publisher: The Story of Open SUNY Textbooks
textbooks.opensuny.org
Leah M. RootWeb Developer, Milne Library, SUNY Geneseo
[email protected]: @rootleah
https://textbooks.opensuny.org/https://www.geneseo.edu/library
Open Textbooks: Ownership
Source: Creative Commons
$$$
Source: The Future is Open: Enhancing Pedagogy via Open Educational Practices ,
Rajiv Jhangiani, Ph.D@thatpsychprof
Students want Open Textbooks
Source: Open Textbook Publishing & Adoption :Cyril Oberlander, David Harris, David Ernst
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
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?
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