Exploring Sustainability in Library Support for Open Pedagogy Collaborations

Abstract

The literature in open education has thoroughly examined the implications of labor and staffing for initiatives around open educational resources (OER). However, less attention has been paid to the reliance on librarian labor for open pedagogy support. This article describes a collaboration between librarians and faculty to support an open pedagogy assignment in which students co-created an open textbook describing the history, politics, and culture of several East Asian cities. Special attention is paid to the scope and level of the support from the Libraries, which included faculty consultations, several instruction sessions, managing the publishing platform, and developing processes to ensure students’ rights as authors. The collaboration provides context for a discussion about our current work of developing an open pedagogy service model. Lessons learned can inform similar collaborations at other institutions.