Through the Open Textbooks at UQ program, the Library partners with UQ academics and teaching staff to create and adapt open textbooks using the Pressbooks platform. Open textbooks are freely available to students and the wider community.

Benefits of using open textbooks in your course

Open textbooks improve the student experience in a variety of ways. Open textbooks are not subject to digital rights management and can be accessed in different formats, downloaded, and printed freely. Because they are free, using open textbooks ensures that students have equitable access to their learning resources.

You can use open textbooks to:

• tailor content to enhance deeper learning and engagement.
• add rich multimedia and interactivity.
• update your textbook immediately and easily.
• co-create content with your students.
• add local context, Indigenous perspectives and a diversity of viewpoints.

Library support

The Library can support you to create, adapt or adopt an open textbook by:

• providing training on using the Pressbooks platform and creating accessible and copyright-compliant content.
• creating a Pressbook shell for you to use
• offering advice, and technical support throughout the creation process
• reviewing your book prior to publication
• promoting your book and ensuring it is findable in online systems.

The Library also offers a grant program for UQ staff and makes two types of grants available:

• Substantially adapt an existing open textbook to your instructional needs – $2,000
• Create an open textbook to replace a commercially published textbook for your course – $4,000.

Get in touch

To discuss your textbook idea, contact pressbooks@library.uq.edu.au.

Submit an expression of interest form to use Pressbooks to create an open book.

Apply for a grant to adapt or create an open textbook.