Out in the Open: Inclusivity, Access, and Open Educational Resources in Illinois

In his 1852 work, “A Vision of a Wrangler, of a University, of Pedantry, and of Philosophy,” the physicist, and sometimes poet, James Clerk Maxwell spoke of “All the costly apparatus, / That is meant to elevate us / To the intellectual status / Necessary for degrees”[i] (ll. 73-76). Nearly 170 years later, that apparatus is substantially more costly, both in terms of the financial burden college students are asked to assume and in the ways that this burden thwarts student efforts to succeed and attain their degrees and their dreams for a better future. Libraries in Illinois and beyond have a vital role to play in expanding access to that apparatus. By promoting and subsidizing Open Educational Resources (OER), academic libraries can help ensure that students can attain the intellectual and professional status they aspire to.