FSU Libraries have created an Alternative Textbook Grant for instructors seeking to replace commercial course materials with zero-cost resources. One of the grant recipients, Dr. Erika Loic, has been working with Leah Sherman, Visual & Performing Arts Librarian, to select ebooks with unlimited user licenses. She has also consulted with Camille Thomas, a Scholarly Communication Librarian from the Office of Digital Research and Scholarship, on adopting open-source software for social annotation.

Dr. Loic, who specializes in the art of the medieval book, notes that open-access books have an unexpectedly long history. The earliest example of a work with a “public domain” declaration is a copy of the Diamond Sutra from 868 CE that is now at the British Library. Its colophon reads, “On the 15th day of the 4th month of the 9th year of the Xiantong reign period, Wang Jie had this made for universal distribution on behalf of his two parents.” On behalf of her undergraduate students, Dr. Loic hopes to improve access to quality materials in recurring lecture courses.