University Libraries’ John Canter completes OhioLINK cohort for OER

Ohio University Libraries’ John Canter, subject librarian for the physical sciences and mathematics, has finished his participation in the OhioLINK cohort to become an Open Educational Resources (OER) specialist librarian through the Open Education Network (OEN).

The program was eight months long and Canter was one of ten librarians this year from other OhioLINK member institutions. Its purpose is to prepare participating members to serve as advocates for high quality and openly accessible educational resources. The cohort was split up within the program and since the completion of it, the current group along with past participants have been holding monthly meetings to share their successes, challenges and support.

Canter wrote in an email that he learned that many people care about OER and affordable learning.

“I was surprised by the varied levels of OER experience within my cohort,” Canter wrote. “Some librarians had very developed OER programs at their school with great support from faculty and university administrators and others were just starting their plans to use OER. I also learned that there are many parts to the successful implementation of an OER program.”

Canter and his colleagues at OHIO have been working with OER for many years and during his time throughout the seven-month program, he was able to focus on specific components of an Action Plan such as timelines, budget & resources, sustainability, outreach & communication plans, assessment and more.

He encourages any librarian interested in OER to apply to the program, as he met many talented people, like his cohort instructor and fellow cohort members, who he can reach out to for brainstorming and feedback even after the completion of the program.

“I hope to bring what I learned about creating a successful OER program and work with the Dean, other librarians, faculty, students and University administrators to identify open textbooks for high-enrollment courses saving students money and reducing financial barriers,” Canter wrote.

For more information, contact John Canter at canter@ohio.edu.