Affordable Course Materials through the Library

Spring 2026 Employee Learning Lab at SUNY Cobleskill. Presented by librarians Theresa Dooley and Faye Starman. The cost of textbooks continues to place significant financial burdens on students, directly impacting their academic success and course completion. In this session, campus librarians will introduce faculty to an array of library-supported strategies for delivering high-quality, affordable course materials. Participants will explore how course reserves, Brightspace-integrated library content, and Open Educational Resources (OER) can work together to reduce out-of-pocket costs for students while maintaining — and often enhancing — academic rigor. Whether you're new to these tools or looking to deepen your practice, this session offers practical, immediately applicable strategies for any discipline.