BC Library Conference 2019

The increasing cost of post-secondary education is a problem faced by students across our country. Although libraries do not have control over contributors such as rising tuition fees and student debt loads, they can provide some financial relief through their collections. Library collection policies have traditionally been designed to exclude textbooks as items that are purchased. However, in the age of digital, the reasoning behind many of these policies could be called to question. Is it time to begin looking at expanding the library’s role in supporting students with some required course materials? How can we design library collections to support the curricular needs of users, while also balancing shrinking budgets and ensuring the needs of our entire communities are met?

Okanagan College Library received an Innovation Fund Grant to provide required course textbooks that were available as simultaneous access e-books from library suppliers. The project aims to to eliminate barriers for students by removing or reducing costs associated with particular courses, and improving student success by providing equal access to existing course materials. Most instructional departments were supportive of the program, as well as most departments across the institution.

The ROI of the project has been significant. An investment of a few thousand dollars during the first semester is estimated to have saved students more than $50,000. Session participants will learn about how the project was designed, enacted, and evaluated. Our experiences of what went well during the project will be shared, as well as what we would have done differently. Attendees will leave feeling confident they could implement a similar program at their own library.