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Low-Cost, No-Cost, and Open Educational Resources (OER)

OER Resources

This page contains a fairly exhaustive list of OER resources and repositories. These repositories have good information, however many tend to have a lot of clutter and dead links. If you are new to OER, or have limited time, please start with the OER Roadmap or the six repositories in the Best Bets box below. 

Best Bets

Federated OER Searches

These resources allow you to search multiple OER repositories using one search:

Textbooks

Subjects Included

  • Arts
  • Business
  • Health
  • Recreation/Tourism
  • Sciences
  • Social Sciences
  • Trades

Licensing

  • CC by 4.0 unless otherwise noted

To Download

  • Choose subject, select title, and chose download format.

Subjects Included

  • Computer Science
  • Mathematics

Licensing

  • "Each author and publisher has their own terms and conditions in the forms of free/open licenses, public domain or other specific ones." ~ FreeTechBooks

Subjects Included

  • Computer Science

Licensing

  • CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted

To Download

  • Select a title and click the "Download..." or "Read..." links.

Subjects Included

  • Agricultural & Biological Sciences
  • Biochemistry
  • Genetics & Molecular Biology
  • Business, Management & Economics
  • Chemistry
  • Computer & Information Science
  • Earth & Planetary Science
  • Engineering
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Immunology & Microbiology
  • Materials Science
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Nanotechnology & Nanomaterials
  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology, toxicology & Pharmaceutical Science
  • Physics
  • Physchology
  • Robotics
  • Social Science
  • Technology
  • Veterinary Medicine & Science

Licensing

  • Various Creative Commons licenses including CC BY-NC-SA 3.0, CC BY 3.0 and CC BY-NC 4.0.  Check individual titles to see which Creative Commons License applies.  Chapter licenses may be found at the bottom of a chapter page.  For more information on their Copyright Policy (publication and use), see their Copyright Policy page.

To Download

  • Select a broad subject at the top or a finder subject category near the bottom of the page, select a narrower subject, select title, select a chapter, and click on the download link icon or the chapter download link below the PDF.

Materials

Licensing

  • Mainly Public Domain with Creative Commons and other licenses.  Please observe licenses of items found.

To Download

  • Search or browse by type, select an item then download your preferred file format.

Subjects Included

  • Biology
  • Business
  • Chemistry
  • Engineering
  • Espanol
  • Geosciences
  • Humanities
  • K12 Education
  • Mathematics
  • Medicinie
  • Physics
  • Social Sciences
  • Statistics
  • Workforce

Licensing

  • CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted

To View

  • To navigate through the different bookshelves, click on "libraries" in the blue column on the left..  There, you have two options:
    • One, click on the title of the library and it will take you to the landing page for that library.  At that point, click on "Bookshelves" to see everything in that library.
    • Two, click on the drop down arrow then click on the specific subsection of that library that you would like to go to.
  • Once you click on a book, the download options will be at the top right.

Subjects Included

  • Academic Support Services
  • Arts
  • Business
  • Education
  • Humanities
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Science and Technology
  • Social Sciences
  • Workforce Development

Licensing

  • Check each resource for licensing information

To Download

  • Choose discipline, select title, click "Go to Material," and use the resource (some may have a download link).

Subjects Included

  • Various subjects

Licensing

  • CC BY 4.0 unless otherwise noted

To Download

  • Choose subject, select title and choose download format from right hand side.

Subjects Included

  • Aeronautics and Astronautics
  • Architecture
  • Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
  • Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
  • Engineering Systems Division
  • Global Studies and Languages
  • Health Sciences and Technology
  • Institute for Data Systems and Society
  • Media Arts and Sciences
  • Nuclear Science and Engineering
  • Sloan School of Management
  • Supplemental Resources

Licensing

  • CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 unless otherwise noted.

To Download

  • Choose a topic under the heading "Online Textbooks then choose title.  Click on the "Readings" link on the left then browse through what is listed and follow download directions there. 

Subjects Included

  • Psychology

Licensing

  • CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 unless otherwise noted

To Download

  • Choose topic from right hand navigation, choose and use title.

Subjects Included

  • Applied Science
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Business and Communication
  • Career and Technical Education
  • Education
  • English
  • History
  • Law
  • Life Sciences
  • Mathematics
  • Physical Science
  • Social Science

Licensing

  • CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted

To View

  • Refine list by "Subject Area", select title then click "View Resource"

Material Types

  • Activity/Lab
  • Assessment
  • Case Study
  • Data Set
  • Diagram/Illustration
  • Full Course
  • Game
  • Homework/Assignment
  • Interactive
  • Lecture & Lecture Notes
  • Lesson & Lesson Plan
  • Module
  • Primary Source
  • Reading
  • Simulation
  • Student Guide
  • Syllabus
  • Teaching/Learning Strategy
  • Textbook
  • Unit of Study

Subjects Included

  • Allied Health
  • Business
  • Career and Technical Education
  • Communication and English Language Arts
  • Creative and Applied Arts
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Government/Political Science and Law
  • History
  • Information Technology
  • Language, Philosophy, and Culture
  • Life Science
  • Mathematics
  • Physical Science
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences

Licensing

  • Check each resource for licensing information.

To Download

  • Use the drop down arrows to filter and search for resources.  Select title and choose download format.

Subjects Included

  • List of freely available math books compiled by George Cain at Georgia Institute of Technology

Licensing

  • Observe licensing details after navigating to resources.

To View

  • Select book from list.

Subjects Included

  • Anthropology, Archaeology and Religion
  • Art and Music
  • Cinema and Photography
  • Classics
  • Digital Humanities
  • Economics, Politics and Sociology
  • Education
  • Environmental Studies
  • Health
  • History and Biography
  • History of the Book
  • History of Science
  • International Relations
  • Law
  • Literature, Language and Culture
  • Mathematics
  • Media Studies and Journalism
  • Open Field Guides
  • Philosophy
  • Sciences
  • Theatre
  • Women and Gender Studies

Licensing

  • CC BY 4.0 unless otherwise noted.  Each title has a "Copyright" tab within its record with further details.

To Download

  • Browse by subject on the left-hand side, select title, click the "Download" button next to the PDF version and then open via your "Downloads" folder.

Subjects Included

  • Mathematics

Licensing

  • Observe Copyright Notice on individual textbooks.  Most are creative Commons licenses that are not too restrictive.

To Download

  • Choose subject, select title and click on "For more information and to download" and find the PDF download link.

Subjects Included

  • Accounting & Finance
  • Business
  • Management & Marketing
  • Computer Science & Information Systems
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Humanities & Languages
  • Law
  • Mathematics & Statistics
  • Natural & Physical Sciences
  • Social Sciences

Licensing

  • CC BY 4.0 unless otherwise noted

To Download

  • Choose a subject, click "Read More" then choose to "Read this Book" by PDF or online.

Subjects Included

  • Math
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Humanities

Licensing

  • CC BY 4.0 unless otherwise noted

To Download

  • Choose subject from top navigation, select title and click "Download a PDF".

Subjects Included

  • Various Subjects

Licensing

  • CC BY 4.0 unless otherwise noted.

Subjects Include

  • Art and Humanities
  • Business
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Law
  • Life Sciences
  • Medicine & Health
  • Physical Sciences & Mathematics
  • Social & Behavioral Sciences

Licensing

  • CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted

To Download

  • Choose a title from the list and click "Download Full Text" or choose individual chapters.

Courseware & Class Materials

CORA is an open access resource for faculty and librarians.

Subjects Included

  • Aeronautics and Astronautics
  • Architecture
  • Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
  • Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
  • Engineering Systems Division
  • Global Studies and Languages
  • Health Sciences and Technology
  • Institute for Data Systems and Society
  • Media Arts and Sciences
  • Nuclear Science and Engineering
  • Sloan School of Management
  • Supplemental Resources

Licensing

  • CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 unless otherwise noted.

To Download

  • Choose a topic under the heading "Online Textbooks then choose title.  Click on the "Readings" link on the left then browse through what is listed and follow download directions there. 

Subjects Included

  • Applied Science
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Business and Communication
  • Career and Technical Education
  • Education
  • English
  • History
  • Law
  • Life Sciences
  • Mathematics
  • Physical Science
  • Social Science

Licensing

  • CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted

To View

  • Refine list by "Subject Area", select title then click "View Resource"

Material Types

  • Activity/Lab
  • Assessment
  • Case Study
  • Data Set
  • Diagram/Illustration
  • Full Course
  • Game
  • Homework/Assignment
  • Interactive
  • Lecture & Lecture Notes
  • Lesson & Lesson Plan
  • Module
  • Primary Source
  • Reading
  • Simulation
  • Student Guide
  • Syllabus
  • Teaching/Learning Strategy
  • Textbook
  • Unit of Study

Subjects Included

  • Allied Health
  • Business
  • Career and Technical Education
  • Communication and English Language Arts
  • Creative and Applied Arts
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Government/Political Science and Law
  • History
  • Information Technology
  • Language, Philosophy, and Culture
  • Life Science
  • Mathematics
  • Physical Science
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences

Licensing

  • Check each resource for licensing information.

To Download

  • Use the drop down arrows to filter and search for resources.  Select title and choose download format.

Subjects Included

  • Accounting
  • Anthropology
  • American Sign Language (ASL)
  • Astronomy
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Chemistry
  • Communication
  • Drama
  • Economics
  • English
  • Environmental Science
  • French
  • Geology
  • History
  • Health
  • Humanities
  • Library
  • Mathematics
  • Music
  • Nutrition
  • Oceanography
  • Philosophy
  • Physics
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Spanish

Licensing

  • CC by 3.0 unless otherwise noted

To Download

  • Select course and download files from Google Drive

Subjects Included

  • Architecture + Urban Planning
  • Chemistry
  • Dentistry
  • Education
  • Educational Technology
  • Engineering
  • Global Health
  • History
  • Information
  • Law
  • Literature, Science, and Arts
  • Mathematics
  • Medical
  • Nursing
  • Pharmacy
  • Physics
  • Public Health
  • Public Policy
  • Romance Languages and Literatures
  • Statistics
  • Student Organizations

Licensing

  • CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted

To Download

  • Select subject, select course, select "Materials" and download each individual item

Subjects Included

  • African American Studies
  • American Studies
  • Astronomy
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Chemistry
  • Classics
  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
  • Economics
  • English
  • Environmental Studies
  • Geology and Geophysics
  • History
  • History of Art
  • Italian Language and Literature
  • Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
  • Philosophy
  • Physics
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Religious Studies
  • Sociology
  • Spanish and Portuguese

Licensing

  • CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted

To Download

  • Select a course and click "Download all course pages".

Subjects Included

  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Communication Studies
  • Computer Science
  • Counseling and School Psychology
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Early Education Development
  • Environmental, Earth, and Ocean Sciences
  • First Year and Intermediate Seminar
  • History
  • Mathematics
  • Nursing and Health Sciences
  • Performing Arts
  • Political Science
  • Public Policy
  • Special Education

Licensing

  • CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted

To Download

  • Select "Departments", select a course, and reuse materials as needed.

Subjects Included

  • Biological and Irrigation Engineering
  • Civil and Environmental engineering
  • Education
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Family, Consumer, & Human Development
  • Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences
  • Other Educational Resources
  • Psychology
  • Theatre Arts
  • University Extension
  • University Studies

Licensing

  • CC BY-NC-SA 2.5 unless otherwise noted

To Download

  • Find your subject, select a class and click on the blue "Download" button in the top right corner.

Subjects Included

  • Arts
  • Biological Sciences
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Health Sciences
  • Humanities
  • Physical Sciences
  • Social Ecology
  • Social Sciences
  • Continuing Educationi

Licensing

  • CC BY-SA 4.0 unless otherwise noted

To Download

  • Select subject, select course and click "Download".

Books

Subjects Included

  • Agriculture & Food Sciences
  • Arts & Architecture
  • Biology & Life Sciences
  • Business & Economics
  • Chemistry
  • Earth & Environmental Sciences
  • General Works
  • Health Sciences
  • History & Archaeology
  • Languages & Literature
  • Law & Political Science
  • Mathematics & Statistics
  • Philosophy & Religion
  • Physics & Astronomy
  • Science General
  • Social Sciences
  • Technology & Engineering

Licensing

  • You can read the license for each item by doing the following:
    • Click on the title of the item you are interested in.
    • Click on the "Book License" button under the cover image of the book.
  • "If not stated otherwise, all works in the OAPEN Online Library fall under the OAPEN Deposit Licence – all rights reserved. End users are allowed to read the work online, download, print and copy it for their own personal purposes within the legal framework of their national copyright law. Beyond this all rights are reserved." - DOAB
  • You can also search by license type.

To Download

  • Select subject, select title and click on "Download URL".  You may also search for books.

Subjects Included

  • Agricultural & Biological Sciences
  • Biochemistry
  • Genetics & Molecular Biology
  • Business, Management & Economics
  • Chemistry
  • Computer & Information Science
  • Earth & Planetary Science
  • Engineering
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Immunology & Microbiology
  • Materials Science
  • Mathematics
  • Medicine
  • Nanotechnology & Nanomaterials
  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology, toxicology & Pharmaceutical Science
  • Physics
  • Physchology
  • Robotics
  • Social Science
  • Technology
  • Veterinary Medicine & Science

Licensing

  • Various Creative Commons licenses including CC BY-NC-SA 3.0, CC BY 3.0 and CC BY-NC 4.0.  Check individual titles to see which Creative Commons License applies.  Chapter licenses may be found at the bottom of a chapter page.  For more information on their Copyright Policy (publication and use), see their Copyright Policy page.

To Download

  • Select a broad subject at the top or a finder subject category near the bottom of the page, select a narrower subject, select title, select a chapter, and click on the download link icon or the chapter download link below the PDF.

Subjects Included

  • Agriculture
  • Behavioral and Social Sciences
  • Biography and Autobiography
  • Biology and Life Sciences
  • Computers and Information Technology
  • Conflict and Security Issues
  • Earth Sciences
  • Education
  • Energy and Energy Conservation
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Environment and Environmental Studies
  • Food and Nutrition
  • Industry and Labor
  • Math, Chemistry, and Physics
  • Policy for Science and Technology
  • Space and Aeronautics
  • Surveys and Statistics
  • Transportation and Infrastructure

Licensing

  • The National Academies press stipulates that "For most Academic and Educational (emphasis added) uses no royalties will be charged although you are required to obtain a license and comply with the license terms and conditions". You can find further information at their Request Rights and Permissions page.

To Download

  • Select book from list and find download or view links.

Subjects Included

  • Anthropology, Archaeology and Religion
  • Art and Music
  • Cinema and Photography
  • Classics
  • Digital Humanities
  • Economics, Politics and Sociology
  • Education
  • Environmental Studies
  • Health
  • History and Biography
  • History of the Book
  • History of Science
  • International Relations
  • Law
  • Literature, Language and Culture
  • Mathematics
  • Media Studies and Journalism
  • Open Field Guides
  • Philosophy
  • Sciences
  • Theatre
  • Women and Gender Studies

Licensing

  • CC BY 4.0 unless otherwise noted.  Each title has a "Copyright" tab within its record with further details.

To Download

  • Browse by subject on the left-hand side, select title, click the "Download" button next to the PDF version and then open via your "Downloads" folder.

Subjects Included

  • Various Subjects

Licensing

  • CC BY 4.0 unless otherwise noted.

Subjects Included

  • Various subjects

Licensing

  • Items have their own "Usage Policy".  Most, if not all, items stipulate no commercial use of materials.

To Download

  • Select book from list and find download or view links.

Subjects Included

  • Various subjects

Licensing

  • Items have their own "Usage Policy".  Most, if not all, items stipulate no commercial use of materials.

To Download

  • Select boo section from list and find download or view links

Subjects Included

  • Computer Science
  • Mathematics

Licensing

  • "Each author and publisher has their own terms and conditions in the forms of free/open licenses, public domain or other specific ones." ~ FreeTechBooks

Subjects Included

  • Various subjects

Licensing

  • Comprised of Public Domain books

To Download

  • Search for a book, click on the title hyperlink, "X" out of the cover preview (top right) then "Read for Free" or "Download PDF".

Subjects Included

  • Computer Science

Licensing

  • CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted

To Download

  • Select a title and click the "Download..." or "Read..." links.

Subjects Included

  • Anatomy
  • Biochemestry
  • Bioethics
  • Cancer
  • Carcinogens
  • Cell Biology
  • Chemicals & Drugs
  • Clinical Protocols
  • Comparative Effectiveness
  • Computational Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Diagnostic Imaging
  • Diseases
  • Evidence-based Medicine
  • Genetics
  • Health Care, Health Education, Health Policy
  • History
  • Immunology
  • Information Science
  • Life Sciences
  • Medicine
  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Neurosciences
  • Nursing
  • Pharmacology
  • Physiology
  • Public Health
  • Small Molecule Libraries
  • Statistics
  • Viruses

Licensing

  • Within individual titles, click the "Copyright and Permissions" link below the citation

To Download/Use

  • At the top, select "Books" then, on the left-hand side, select  "Book" as "Type".  Put the subject you are looking for in the search box at the top then "Search".   For full-text books, you may read the book using the "PubReader" or download individual chapters, and/or b) search within the book using the "Search this Book" feature.  You may also search all books at the top of the page.

Subjects Included

  • Animals
  • Children's Books
  • Classics
  • Countries
  • Crime
  • Education
  • Fiction
  • Fine Arts
  • General Works
  • Geography
  • History
  • Language & Literature
  • Law
  • Music
  • Psychology & Philosophy
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Social Sciences
  • Technology
  • Wars

Licensing

  • Most items are within the public domain. Copyright status can be found under the "Bibliographic Record" section of each book once you click on the book cover or book title hyperlink.

Multimedia Resources

Materials

  • Clip Art

Licensing

To Download

  • Search or browse by category, select item, and choose your preferred files size.

Material

  • Music

Licensing

  • CC BY 3.0 or CC BY-NC 3.0 unless otherwise noted

To Download

  • Either search for music in the search box on the top right or browse by clicking "Dig!" button for Instrumental Music for Film & Video, Free Music for Commercial Project or Music for Video Games

Materials

  • Primary Documents

Eras

  • Revolution & the New Nation (1754-1820s)
  • Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)
  • Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877)
  • The Development of the Industrial United Stated (1870-1900)
  • The Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)
  • The Great Depression and World War II (192901945)
  • Postwar United States (1945 to early 1970s)
  • Contemporary United Stated (1968 to the present)
  • Across Historical Eras

Licensing

  • DocsTeach materials are licensed with a CC BY-NC-SA. Primary sources are public domain, except as noted. Teaching activities may have a CC0 Public Domain license.

To Download

  • Search or choose era, choose item, and click download link .

Materials

  • Icons & Vector Graphics

Licensing

  • Check "Terms of Use" for selected items.

To Download

  • Search for icon or graphic, select item, and download your preferred file type/size.

Materials

  • Icons

Licensing

  • "Font Awesome Free is free, open source, and GPL friendly. You can use it for commercial projects, open source projects, or really almost whatever you want" with keeping attributions within the source files. For further information, see Font Awesome's License Page.

To Download

  • Click "Download Free"

Materials

  • Simulations & Videos

Subjects Included

  • Algebra
  • Arithmetic
  • Biology
  • Calculus & Advanced Math
  • Chemistry
  • Earth Science
  • Economics
  • English
  • Geometry
  • Government
  • History
  • Physics
  • Probability
  • Religion
  • Sociology
  • Statistics

Licensing

  • Videos and simulations have various licensing requirements. A good number are Creative Common licenses. Please check each item for specific licensing requirements.

To Download

  • Choose subject, choose a subject under a collection, choose an item, click "Share," and choose to copy the link or get code for an embed.

Materials

Licensing

  • Mainly Public Domain with Creative Commons and other licenses.  Please observe licenses of items found.

To Download

  • Search or browse by type, select an item then download your preferred file format.

Materials

  • Sheet Music

Styles

  • Baroque
  • Classical
  • Folk
  • Gospel
  • Hymn
  • Jazz
  • March
  • Modern
  • Popular/Dance
  • Renaissance
  • Romantic
  • Song
  • Technique

Licensing

  • CC BY-SA 4.0/3.0/2.5/2.0/1.0, CC BY 4.0/3.0/2.5, or Public Domain as described on their License page. Please check licensing requirements on individual files.

To Download

  • Browse by Instruments, Composers, Styles, or Collection, select title, and choose preferred format.

Materials

  • Simulations

Subjects Included

  • Physics
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Earth Science
  • Math

Licensing

  • CC BY 4.0 unless otherwise noted. For further information on Licensing, please visit PhET's Licensing page.

Accessibility

  • PhET is working on making their simulations accessible. PhET provides a list of what they consider to be accessible simulations.

To View/Download/Embed

  • Refine list by subject on the left-hand side, select title, and click the play (view), download, or embed buttons.

Materials

  • Photos
  • Illustrations
  • Vector Graphics
  • Videos

Licensing

  • CC0 unless otherwise noted. Check each item for specific licensing. For further information, see Pixabay"s Terms of Service page.

To Download

  • Search for an item, select the item, click "Free Download," choose your preferred file format, and click "Download."

Materials

  • Videos

Licensing

To Share

  • Search for a video, select video, click the share icon , and use whatever means you wish (link, embed, & download)

Materials

  • Icons

Licensing

  • Mainly CC licenses. Please observe licenses on file pages by hovering over the CC icon.

To Download

  • Create a free account. Log in then search for icons. Next, click on "Get This Icon" and follow download instructions.

Materials

  • Recorded audio

Recording Categorized by

  • Genre
  • Instrument
  • Topical Subject
  • Ethnic & Foreign Cylinders

Licensing

  • CC BY-NC 2.5 unless otherwise noted

To Download

  • Select a category, select title, and click the play, download, or share.

Materials

  • Comics

Licensing

  • CC BY-NC 2.5 unless otherwise noted

To Share

  • Browse comics, select a comic, and use the permanent link or image URL to embed (found under the comic).

Using Google and YouTube to Find OER Resources

Using Google's Advanced Search Features, you can search for content with specific licenses. Simply scroll down and find "Usage Rights" in the "Then Narrow Your Results By..." section. It is just above the advanced search button. Simply choose which license category that you are looking for, and select it after inputting your search and Google will find compatible openly-licensed material. 

While you cannot search specifically for creative commons content when making your initial search, YouTube's filters allow you to filter down to just content distributed under a Creative Commons license. To do this, first make your initial search via YouTube's Search Box, and then click on "Filers" in the top left corner of the results. From the filters menu, go to "Features" and select "Creative Commons". This will show you Youtube videos displayed under Creative Commons licenses.

Disclaimer: This often creates false positives where people have reposted copyrighted material under an invalid creative commons license. Please ensure that you are linking to the original, properly licensed material.   

Disclaimer

The Library has not evaluated these resources for content or accessibility.  Use your professional and subject expertise in evaluating and using these resources.

Additionally, review the terms of use and copyrights on any resource you find.

Subjects: Education