Textbooks are getting more and more expensive, and students are increasingly resistant to buying them. We see more and more students in the library hoping that we have their textbook on our shelves (we usually don't, and if we do, it will often be the case that someone else has already borrowed it). By using an open textbook or basing your course around other freely available resources (such as open access publications and content in the Library's many licensed e-resources) you can save your students a lot of money.
You can start by checking out BCcampus Open Textbooks, eCampus Ontario Open Library, and the Open Textbook Library. Browse subject areas to find free, openly-licensed textbooks that have been reviewed by faculty from a variety of colleges and universities.
Modifying an Open Textbook: What you need to know. Access this brief guide for editing open textbooks, with information about importing and editing open textbook files and working with different platform types.