‘Librarians and other information workers’ interest is to provide the best possible access for library users to information and ideas in any media or format. This includes support for the principles of open access, open source, and open licenses’ (IFLA, 2012, principle 4).
Despite the limited exceptions and statutory licences that permit some use of copyright material by students and teachers, copyright law (under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) and applicable international treaties) restricts some uses and access to copyright material in an education setting. Examples include the reproduction of more than a chapter of a textbook and the online sharing of transformed copyright works beyond a password protected school website (National Copyright Unit, n.d. (a)., para 2.). The cost of textbooks and other copyright material for some schools and students can be prohibitive.
As stated by the IFLA, part of the role of the teacher-librarian, when resourcing the curriculum, is to consider how to maximise access to information for learning and for the creation and sharing of knowledge and new material. This needs to be done within the limits of the law.
One positive and increasingly common way to enhance access to information (particularly in university or post school settings) is through open education and open education resources (OERs). Open education’s central ideals are access, collaboration and creative or experiential learning. These emphasise that everyone, everywhere, has right to access quality educational experiences and resources, and that students and teachers benefit from collaboration with each other and their peers around the world (Bourdages, 2020, para. 3). Under this approach, Bourdages (para. 5) explains, teachers connect with students as ‘creators of information rather than just as consumers’. OERs are (on-line) resources made available for use by anyone at no cost. To qualify as an OER the licence must also allow use in whole or part, retention, adaptation and redistribution with no or few limits (Bourdages, citing UNESCO, para 8). OERs are often licenced under various Creative Commons (CC) licences such as the broad CC-BY attribution licence (National Copyright Unit, n.d. (b)., para 1). OERs may include open textbooks, photographic images, videos, code, lesson plans, and even a full course. A prime example of the later (used in NSW schools) is the OER project’s Big History (and World History) programs (OER Project, 2020).
Teacher-librarians can promote the use of OERs in schools, assist teachers in locating quality OERs for the implementation of curriculum and student learning, train teachers and students in locating, using and attributing OERs under CC licences and on how to use CC licensing and symbols for their own work. Lessons from teacher-librarians on the use of OERs and CC licensing can develop students’ understanding of the ethical use of information (and copyright material) and their digital literacy.
Significantly, the teacher-librarians role can potentially extend beyond guidance, location and curation of OERs to leadership in OER creation. This would be done in collaboration with teachers and could involve the creation of online resources to replace or supplement textbooks or to create a particular online unit of work (Miller & Homel, 2016, p.350). A New Zealand study (Hakim, 2017, p. 249) examined OERs in the university context and then considered the implications for high school students. One implication is that high schools students should ideally obtain knowledge and understanding of OERs before going on to tertiary study and have the benefit of access to quality resources, academic challenges and transferable credits (Hakim, p. 249). The article considered the creation of a High School Open Educational Resource either at a NZ national or regional level, linking schools with universities (Hakim, pp. 249-250). Under this scheme, teacher-librarians would be involved in the collaborative creation and pooling of online resources and managing publishing in open access formats (Hakim, p. 250).
I am keen to expand my understanding and study of the growth, benefits and take-up of OERs in schools throughout my M.Ed (Teach Lib.) course and beyond.
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Bourdages, L. (2020). So you want to be an academic librarian. You should learn about OERs. HLS: How would you hack library school? https://hacklibraryschool.com/2020/11/09/so-you-want-to-be-an-academic-librarian-you-should-learn-about-oers/
Hakim, S. (2017). Supporting access to open education resources and massive open on-line courses for high school students of New Zealand. E-learning and Digital Media. 14(4). 244-253, DOI: 10.1177/2042753017692724
IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions). (2012). IFLA Code of Ethics for Librarians and other Information Workers. https://www.ifla.org/publications/ifla-code-of-ethics-for-librarians-and-other-information-workers–short-version-
Miller, R. and Homol, L. (2016). Building an Online Curriculum Based on OERs: The Library’s Role. Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning. 10:3-4, 349-359, DOI: 10.1080/1533290X.2016.1223957
National Copyright Unit (n.d.)(a) Fair use and why Australian schools need it. Smartcopying: The Official Guide to Copyright Issues for Australian Schools and TAFE. https://smartcopying.edu.au/fair-use-and-why-australian-schools-need-it/
National Copyright Unit (n.d.)(b) Open Education Resources. Smartcopying https://smartcopying.edu.au/open-education-resources/