Affordable Learning @ Franklin University

Many resources are available from the Franklin University Library which can be used in classes at no cost to students.

• If you are interested in using library resources, please contact the library to make sure that a resource is owned, and that the license permits use of the resource in a class. 
   
• If you are a faculty member or course designer who wants to use a library etextbook (whether you have a specific textbook in mind, or would like us to perform a general search for available textbooks on a topic), please fill out our research project request form.

It can be tricky to identify which ebooks have an ownership / licensing status which is suitable for course use. Contact the library to ask about possible etextbooks -- not every ebook available through the library is suitable for use as a course etextbook.

In addition to identifying whether an etextbook available through the library is suitable for use in a course, we can

• identify whether a specific title is available for purchase as a course etextbook; or
   
• search for available titles on a topic and provide information to help faculty members and course designers determine whether a potential etextbook is suitable for use in a course. 

The library only purchases library books to be used as etextbooks when the book

1. is available for the library to purchase with an unlimited user license,
2. is required for use as a textbook in a course,
3. can be purchased within the library’s etextbook budget, and
4. does not have an excessive cost.

If the price of a textbook is determined to be excessive, the library will work with faculty and/or course designers to identify an alternative which is not cost prohibitive. 

The library provides many library etextbooks through ebook packages the library subscribes to. For individually purchased library etextbooks, the average price is $148.20.

Ideally, books purchased as library etextbooks will be those published within the last 5 years. If you have questions about whether a book can be used as a library etextbook, check with the library.

Open Educational Resources, or OER, are created using an alternate publishing model from traditional textbooks, often as a result of funding from an alternate source such as an institution or foundation. OERs are available for free use by students.

You can find more information about OERs, including resources for finding and evaluating them, on our Open Educational Resource research guide.

Need help with OERs?

• The library can search for possible OERs for you to use and provide you with options -- fill out the research project request form to let us know what you are looking for (put a note in the "topics desired" field that you would prefer an OER).
   
• If you have any questions about using OERs in your classroom, contact the library. We can provide additional information about OERs, the benefits of using OERs and how to properly use them.

The library provides access to streaming videos through Kanopy. The videos must be requested in advance by faculty to be authorized for use in a course. Videos can take up to 72 hours to authorize.

To request a video, find the video on the Kanopy site and try to play the video. If the video plays, the library already provides access. If the library does not have access, you will see a form to fill out to request access. You can see what videos the library provides for use in courses on the Courses Using Library Videos page of this guide.

For more information about using Kanopy, and requesting access to Kanopy videos, see the library's Kanopy Streaming Video guide. See the library's Standards for Kanopy Streaming Video policy for information about when the library will provide access to Kanopy streaming videos.

Here are some additional resources which support affordable learning.