Open Access Benefits Students [North Georgia College and State University]

In honor of International Open Access Week, the Library and Technology Center held a conference on open access initiatives at NGCSU. Open access is the practice of providing unrestricted access via the Internet to peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles. The University Press of North Georgia (UPNG) is working in conjunction with The University System of Georgia (USG) to produce open access textbooks. A textbook is currently in the works for History 2111.

“It is no secret that the price of textbooks are skyrocketing. Having open access textbooks would save students up 80 percent a semester,’’ said  Dr. Marie Lasseter, a member of the USG. The book has undergone several rounds of peer review and has been in the works for about a year now.  This textbook should be available for use by Summer 2013.

There are some differences between open access textbooks and e-textbooks. E-textbooks usually have limited access and are not allowed to be printed. Open access textbook are peer-edited and are available free of charge unless you decide to print it.  They are also able to be viewed without purchasing a subscription...