“Free” does not always mean better, but in times of rapid technological change and financial constraint, openly available online resources can provide students in higher education with enhanced learning opportunities. Instruction librarians have been increasingly embracing these possibilities, drawing students’ attention to open access journals, open education resources, open data, massive open online courses (MOOCs), open source software, and digitized media in the public domain. The proliferation of these resources holds much promise for teaching and learning. However, the quantity and at times questionable quality of such resources can create barriers to their use and wide-spread adoption. Drawing on a variety of examples of ways open resources have been integrated into library services, this session will take a critical look at the benefits and implications they pose from an information literacy perspective. Attendees will learn about a range of quality open resources at their disposal, and best practices in using these resources to benefit faculty-librarian collaboration in the classroom, enhance students’ information, digital and media literacy skills, and foster a spirit of critical thinking, creativity, and lifelong learning at their institutions.
