Open Access Textbooks: HOME

The Library catalogue (please contact your Faculty librarian)

SUNLearn

Course Reading lists

• Unlike traditonal use of copyrighted resources, Open Access Textbooks (OATs) are made freely available online to staff and students to access and re-use without needing to request permission to do so;
• With an OAT, the author or publisher has opted to retain either a few or no ownership rights and an OAT is usually licensed under an open copyright licence (Creative Commons or similar licence);
• These open copyright licences regulate and control how the OAT may be used and distributed – not all OATs have the same open licensing conditions;
• Access and re-use rights are clearly defined for every end-user by the type of licence under which the OAT is uploaded and users are advised to make sure what they may and may not do with the content;
• Attribution of the original creator is usually a pre-requisite but there is a degree of flexibility as to how the content is used, depending on the type of licence the content is made available under. This flexibility could include:

• Not just personal use, but further distribution allowed;
• Derivatives, adaptations and remixes allowed;
• Commercial use (not just non-commercial/academic use)

Carol Kat: 

Hoof: Kopiereg; Handelsmerke & Kortkursusse / Head: Copyright; Trade Marks & Short Courses

  e: carolk@sun.ac.za|  t: +27 21 808 2992 

Advantages of using open textbooks include:

• 24/7 access
• All students have immediate access to text books from day one
• The open textbooks can be accessed repeatedly
• Flexible and affordable access to higher education resources
• Simultaneous access by more than one client
• Search, browse and find functions not available in printed copies
• Perfect for reading on different mobile platforms
• Critical for remote online learning
• A link to an open textbook can be added to library catalogue, course reading lists, etc.
• Saves money
• Open textbooks do not disappear at the end of term, or get lost