When Elizabeth Dill mentioned Open Educational Resources as a potential topic for the podcast, I knew it would be something many listeners would enjoy learning about. As the host of a general interest podcast about libraries, I'm always eager to explore new ideas and learn more about different topics, but this one was really outside my normal work as a public library manager. As I was doing my initial research, I quickly realized that this subject would be better served by a deeper level of expertise. That's when my go-to guest host, Troy Swanson, came to the rescue!
Troy's background in academic libraries and his passion for exploring cross-disciplinary issues always adds a fresh perspective to the show. And for this episode, he brought in some fantastic guests from the library world to dive deep into the crucial issue of equity in college education.
So, if you're curious about what Open Educational Resources are and how they can benefit college students, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Get ready to learn from some of the brightest minds in the library world and discover how we can all work together to make education more accessible and equitable for all.
CI239 Show Notes
OERs (Open Education Resources) are different things to different people. They are free textbooks. They are a ground-level, equity tool. They are a way to increase inclusion in the curriculum. They are devious method to bypass traditional publishing. They are part of a larger movement to change higher education. They are an information literacy resource. They are stand for social justice. All of these things. And more…
As the open movement is sweeping across higher education, libraries and librarians are playing an important role as supporting infrastructure, as partners in the classroom, and as innovators evangelizing on their campuses. On my own campus, our library is working with faculty to find and develop OERs. We are also advocating at the state level for funding and support.
Given the growth of OERs, it was an opportune time to talk to three librarians who are leading the way for our profession around the open movement. In Circulating Ideas 239, I was happy to talk to Mary Ann Cullen from Georgia State, CJ Ivory and Angela Pashia both of whom are from the University of West Georgia. Mary Ann is a co-editor of the book, Intersections of Open Educational Resources and Information Literacy. CJ and Angela are co-editors of the book Using Open Educational Resources to Promote Social Justice.
In our talk, we cover a great deal of ground from OER basics, to the role of OERs in information literacy instruction, the ways the OERs give voice to marginalized communities who are not often represented in academic publishing, and so much more.
- Troy Swanson, April 27, 2023
Mary Ann Cullen
Mary Ann Cullen is an associate professor and Associate Department Head at Georgia State University’s Alpharetta Campus. She has been involved in the open and affordable educational resources movement since 2013, when she participated in the adaptation of an OER text for an introductory English composition course. Since then, she has assisted faculty with OER adoption and grants, and presented about librarians’ roles in OER at ACRL, the Distance Library Services Conference, and a Carterette Series webinar. She has been recognized as an Affordable Learning Georgia Featured Advocate and co-edited the Fall 2020 special edition of the academic journal, Library Trends, “OER and the Academic Library,” with Elizabeth Dill, in addition to the ACRL book, Intersections of Open Educational Resources and Information Literacy.
CJ Ivory
CJ Ivory is an Associate Professor and Librarian at the University of West Georgia, where she teaches Information Literacy & Research. With expertise in open education resources and textbook alternatives, she serves as a Library Champion for Affordable Learning Georgia, a statewide initiative. She has been awarded grants for developing open textbooks in the fields of teacher education and chemistry. Professor Ivory recently published a book with ACRL Press titled Using Open Educational Resources to Promote Social Justice.
Additionally, she teaches courses helping librarians develop their diversity and inclusion skills through Library Juice Academy. She has been invited to speak on these topics in academic libraries and professional organizations. Professor Ivory's commitment to providing inclusive and equitable educational resources aligns with her passion for social justice education.
Angela Pashia
Angela Pashia has over a decade of experience as an academic librarian focusing on teaching critical information literacy, mentoring colleagues, working against structural oppression within libraries, and growing as a collaborative leader. Angela is currently a professor / learning & research support librarian at a regional comprehensive university. Angela is also an academic career and leadership development coach, supporting faculty and librarians in aligning their work with their core values, so that they can focus more on things that bring meaning to their life and less on things that are just chores that drain their energy. Angela teaches several courses at the Library Juice Academy. Learn more at https://angelapashia.com/
Troy Swanson
Troy A. Swanson is Teaching & Learning Librarian and Library Department Chair at Moraine Valley Community College. He is also the President of the Moraine Valley Faculty Association. Troy is the author or editor of several books and articles including co-editor of Not Just Where to Click: Teaching Students How to Think About Information which received the Ilene F. Rockman Publication of the Year Award from ARCL’s Instruction Section. His Ph.D. dissertation focused on the management of technology policy in higher education. He served on ACRL’s Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education Task Force which issued the Framework for Information Literacy. Over his tenure as a librarian and educator, Troy has won his campuses Master Teacher and Innovation of the Year awards, as well as the Proquest Innovation in College Librarianship award from ACRL.
Mentions
Intersections of Open Educational Resources and Information Literacy edited by Mary Ann Cullen & Elizabeth Dill - Open Access PDF | ALA Store
Using Open Educational Resources to Promote Social Justice edited by CJ Ivory& Angela Pashia - Open Access PDF | ALA Store
University of West Georgia: LIBR 2100 - Information Literacy and Research
The Diversity Baseline Survey (DBS 2.0), from Lee & Low Books
Circulating Ideas facilitates conversations with the innovative people and ideas inspiring libraries to grow and thrive in the 21st century. Brought to you with support from listeners like you.