Alternative Textbook Grant program supports teaching, learning, and student success

By Adrian Ho and Jillian Waitkus

Committed to supporting student success and knowledge sharing, UK Libraries is launching the Alternative Textbook Grant Program to encourage faculty members to adopt peer-reviewed, open access alternative textbooks or to create alternative textbooks for their courses. Faculty members may apply for one of ten grants of up to $1,500 each to implement any curriculum change required for the use of alternative textbooks. 

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics has shown that the cost of college textbooks rose 82 percent from 2002 to 2012. Studies indicate that the financial burden of textbooks negatively impacts student success by limiting students’ access to essential learning resources. With textbook cost soaring to an exorbitant level, faculty members are looking for solutions that will enable students to gain access to learning materials in the most economical way.

Open educational resources and alternative textbooks present a proven solution to the prohibitive prices of traditional textbooks, and allow faculty members to customize course materials in timely and innovative manners. UK Libraries’ academic liaisons will provide faculty members with assistance in identifying existing alternative textbooks and UK Libraries’ licensed information resources that are appropriate substitutes for traditional textbooks. 

Any current UK faculty member teaching a course in 2017 using a commercial textbook is eligible to apply for one of the ten alternative textbook grants. Proposals must be submitted via the Program’s online form. 

The Faculty Senate Library Committee will review the proposals. Successful applicants will be notified of awards in early Fiscal Year 2016/2017. Selection criteria include: strength of statement of concern, estimated potential savings by students in the course, sustainability beyond the initial semester, and the ability to use the alternative textbook in 2017. Each grant recipient will have to submit a report that describes the alternative textbook, the number of students impacted, estimated student savings, and a short evaluation of the experience with the Program. Outcomes of the Program will be shared with the UK community.

The proposal submission deadline is April 29, 2016.  For more information about the Alternative Textbook Grant Program, please contact UK Libraries Director of Digital Scholarship Adrian Ho at adrian.ho@uky.edu or UK Libraries Senior Associate Dean Mary Beth Thomson at mbthomson@uky.edu.

Updates to access to licensed library electronic resources

To ensure continued and improved access to academic and scholarly electronic resources, University of Kentucky Libraries will reconfigure licensed electronic books, journals, and databases to require channeling through the EZproxy server.  EZproxy is a service which allows access to restricted electronic information purchased or licensed by the UK Libraries for current UK students, staff, and faculty.

In the past EZproxy has been used for off-campus access only, but this reconfiguration will mean that the EZproxy service will be required for both on-campus and off-campus access to most licensed resources.  It also requires that a user’s initial access to licensed resources be made through a UK Libraries service – the Libraries web site, InfoKat Discovery, Research Guides, or “View Now @ UK” button. 

Most users of UK Libraries resources should see no difference.

If an instructor has set up direct access to licensed resources from Canvas or BlackBoard and properly configured links for off-campus access as described on the EZproxy FAQ, there should be no change. 

If an instructor has not followed the instructions on the EZproxy FAQ, then the links will need to be altered after this change is implemented.

Personal bookmarks, favorites, or shortcuts directly to licensed journals, books, and databases may need to be recreated after this change is implemented.

To recreate personal bookmarks, favorites, or shortcuts:

1.     Start from one of the UK Libraries resources listed above: the Libraries web site, InfoKat Discovery, Research Guides, or “View Now @ UK” button

2.     Find the resource

3.     Save it to bookmarks, favorites, or shortcuts

Alternately the favorite could be edited directly by adding the URL prefix as indicated on the EZProxy FAQ.

UK Libraries makes this change to adhere to licensing obligations, avoid disruption of service, and ensure continued access to academic and scholarly electronic information.