Library: Open Educational Resources Guide: Open Textbooks

About this page

On this page and the subpages available via the tabs in the left side navigation menu, you will find links to sites where you can find texts representing a wide range of subjects.

Look for the or to view a comprehensive review of the textbook by a UHCC faculty member.

In addition, this page presents a compilation of links to open textbooks (and a few other similar resources) in various subject areas. The materials included in this guide are just a few of the many resources currently available online from various sources, and they are presented here as samples to represent the variety of open textbooks that may be found online today. The tabs you see on the left side of the screen include materials in the following subject areas: Math, Economics, Marketing, History, Biology, Botany, English, Psychology, Sociology, Speech, World Languages, Anthropology, Anatomy and Physiology, Physics, Chemistry, Culinary Arts, Teacher Education and more. This page is frequently updated and new resources are added on a regular basis.

Printing OER Textbooks
The Copy Center offers a service to print OER textbooks for $0.05 per page.
Find More OER
If you didn't find what you need on this page, additional guides, collections, and repositories are available.

Find Open Textbooks

Open textbooks are available with nonrestrictive licenses. The following sites include peer-reviewed titles representing a wide range of disciplines and subjects.

BC Campus OpenEd Resources
Repository of open textbooks created from the University of British Columbia Open Textbook Project.
Boundless Courses
In collaboration with the Boundless team, Lumen Learning imported these OER courses to the Lumen Platform, to ensure they remain freely available to the education community after Boundless ceased operations.
COOL4ed ISBN Search
COOL4ed is a service of the California State University, MERLOT program. The ISBN search feature is located near the bottom of the page. Use the ISBN of a similar OER text and this search feature will find related resources.
Galileo Open Learning Materials - Textbooks
Find textbooks from Affordable Learning Georgia, an initiative of the University System of Georgia.
Milne Open Textbooks (formerly Open SUNY)
An open access initiative from the State University of New York (SUNY) system which is publishing faculty produced course textbooks.
OASIS
A search tool for OER sources developed and launched by SUNY Geneseo’s Milne Library.
OER Commons Community College Textbooks
Search for textbooks for community college courses and many other supplementary and ancillary resources. Use the "Education Level" filter on the left side of the page to select for Community College resources or otherwise adjust the search for your needs.
Open Oregon Educational Resources
A small collection of texts presented through Pressbooks. Various disciplines and topics available.
OpenStax Textbooks
A growing collection of peer-reviewed introductory level college textbooks covering biology, anatomy and physiology, sociology, statistics, and economics. Pre-calculus, chemistry, U.S. history, and psychology textbooks are in development.
Open Textbook Library
An open textbook library hosted by the University of Minnesota. Over 500 titles showcased on a variety of disciplines.
OpenTextBookStore
A directory of open textbooks focusing on mathematics from arithmetic to calculus to linear algebra.
Pressbooks Directory
A free, searchable catalog that includes 6,395 open-access books published by 173 organizations and networks using Pressbooks.
Saylor Academy Bookshelf
100 downloadable textbooks from the Saylor Academy.

Spotlight - Texts Developed by UH System Faculty

Botany in Hawaiʻi (2021)
Created by Leeward CC instructors Daniela Dutra Eilliot and Paula Mejia Velasquez, this CC BY-NC-SA licensed LibreTexts publication discusses introductory topics of Botany through examples of the native and introduced plants found in Hawaiʻi. It includes the anatomy and physiology of seeds, roots, leaves, stems, fruits, and flowers and covers the main plant groups from nonvascular to flowering plants. This book provides a visual reference to botanical concepts and terminology for beginners.
English Composition: Connect, Collaborate, Communicate (2019)
This OER textbook has been designed for students to learn the foundational concepts for English 100. The content aligns to learning outcomes across all campuses in the University of Hawai'i system.
Human Nutrition 2nd Ed. (2022)
This Pressbook textbook by University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Food Science and Human Nutrition Program serves as an introduction to nutrition for undergraduate students and is the OER textbook for the FSHN 185 The Science of Human Nutrition course at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. The book covers basic concepts in human nutrition, key information about essential nutrients, basic nutritional assessment, and nutrition across the lifespan.
Musubi: A New Approach to Japanese Language and Culture, Vol. 1
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Two texts available through the UH System Repository for the University of Hawaiʻi: Reading & Writing and Oral Communication.
UH Microeconomics 2019 (Assoc. Authors, University of Hawaiʻi)
Designed for ECON 130, this is a revised version of the OpenStax OER text Principles of Microeconomics 2e.

Spotlight - Texts Reviewed by UH System Faculty

American Literature I
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American Literature I (1650–1860) examines significant literary works of early American and Puritan literature, the Enlightenment, American Romanticism, and pre-Civil War era. The course includes primary texts (many accompanied by video/audio options), historical background, literary criticism and interpretation, and instruction on writing about literature.
Theatrical Worlds
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Developed by faculty at the University of Florida - Gainesville. The text gives insight into the people and processes that create theater. It does not strip away the feeling of magic but to add wonder for the artistry that make a production work well.

College Success
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This course provides resources for first-year college students on the path to academic and life success. Available via Course Hero and Lumen Learning.
College Success (Lumen Learning via MERLOT)
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This version is by ELI (Extended Learning Institute at NOVA) via Lumen Learning. The focus of this textbook is preparing students for a college education with the study and life skills they need to become successful students.

Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies
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Communication in the Real World overviews the time-tested conceptual foundations of the field, while incorporating the latest research and cutting-edge applications of these basics. A key feature of this book is the integration of content regarding diversity and organizational communication in each chapter through examples and/or discrete sub-sections.
Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication
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"The author believes that an introduction to mass communication text should be a compelling, historical narrative sketching the ongoing evolution of media technology and how that technology shapes and is shaped by culture..."

Principles of Economics (2nd ed., Oct. 2017)
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Principles of Economics covers scope and sequence requirements for a two-semester introductory economics course. The authors take a balanced approach to micro- and macroeconomics, to both Keynesian and classical views, and to the theory and application of economics concepts. The text also includes many current examples, which are handled in a politically equitable way.

About Writing: A Guide
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This writer's reference condenses and covers everything a beginning writing student should need to successfully compose college-level work. The book covers the basics of composition and revising, including how to build a strong thesis, how to peer review a fellow student's work, and a handy checklist for revision, before moving on to a broad overview of academic writing.
BC Reads: Adult Literacy Fundamental English - Course Pack 6
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This course pack is designed to meet the learning outcomes for Adult Literacy Fundamental English Level 6 (roughly equivalent to grades 7.5 to 9 in the K-12 system). Every chapter includes a level-appropriate, high-interest reading of between 500 and 1,000 words.
English Composition I by Lumen Learning
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English Composition I is a study of the rhetorical modes of writing and essay production.
The Information Literacy User's Guide: An Open, Online Textbook
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The Information Literacy User’s Guide is based on two models in information literacy: The 2011 version of The Seven Pillars Model and the conception of information literacy as a metaliteracy.
Writing Commons
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A free, comprehensive, peer-reviewed, award-winning Open Text for students and faculty in college-level courses that require writing and research skills.
Writing for Success (via Open Textbook Library)
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The linked review of this textbook is for the original version authored by Scott McClean, Arizona Western College.
Writing Spaces
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Writing Spaces is an open textbook project for college-level writing studies courses. Each volume in the Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing series contains peer-reviewed collections of essays about writing—all composed by teachers for students—with each book available for download for free under a Creative Commons license.

Introductory Guide to Ancient Civilizations
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Note from the authors: "This guide is designed to be used along with a presentation or other supportive material...The individual lecturer needs to fill in the missing parts he/she wants to focus on based on their expertise and interest."
World History: Cultures, States, and Societies to 1500
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A comprehensive introduction to the history of humankind from prehistory to 1500. Authored by six USG faculty members with advanced degrees in History, this textbook offers an up-to-date original scholarship.
U.S. History (OpenStax, Updated 2023)
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This textbook covers the history of the United States chronologically and thoroughly enough to meet the requirements of most courses. Click on "Get this book" to read it online or to download the book in PDF format.

Introduction to Tourism and Hospitality in BC, 2nd ed. (2021)
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This textbook is an introduction to the tourism and hospitality industry in British Columbia, and is written with a first year college and university audience in mind. Each chapter is organized thematically moving from a global, then national, and finally provincial context.

Professional Web Accessibility Auditing Made Easy (2018)
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Digital accessibility skills are in high demand, as the world becomes more aware of barriers in digital content that prevent some people from participating in a digital society. These are essential skills for web developers, and essential knowledge for organizations that want to ensure their web content is reaching the broadest audience possible.

Anatomy and Physiology II (Lumen Learning)
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This introductory class integrates the anatomy and physiology of organs, the systems of the human body, and development and inheritance. It includes the study of the gross and microscopic structure of the systems of the human body with special emphasis on the relationship between structure and function. This is the second of a two-part course.
Introduction to Human Body Systems and Related Medical Terminology (Kurt Rutter)
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This text is adapted from the OpenStax Textbook Anatomy and Physiology, which is a college level text intended for a traditional two semester anatomy and Physiology course. This adaptation is highly edited to focus on basic human body systems required for an introductory anatomy and medical terminology course (HLTH 140 at Kaua`i CC).
Biology 2nd ed. (OpenStax, Updated 2023)
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Biology 2e is designed to cover the scope and sequence requirements of a typical two-semester biology course for science majors. The 2nd edition has been revised to incorporate clearer, more current, and more dynamic explanations, while maintaining the same organization as the first edition. Art and illustrations have been substantially improved, and the textbook features additional assessments and related resources.
Biology I Laboratory Manual (Lumen Learning)
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This set of Biology I lab assignments ensures students have the opportunity to apply the concepts and information they learn as they work through Biology I course content. Content includes lab assignments for students, as well as Instructor Materials Preparation for each lab with detailed lists of what faculty members need for each lab.
Biology II Laboratory Manual (Lumen Learning)
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This set of Biology II lab assignments ensures students have the opportunity to apply the concepts and information they learn as they work through Biology II course content. Content includes lab assignments for students, as well as Instructor Materials Preparation for each lab with detailed lists of what faculty members need for each lab.
General Biology Laboratory Manual (Merlot)
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A lab manual designed to be used in conjunction with an entry level biology course.
Assessing Cranial Nerves
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In this interactive resource, learners read a scenario and identify the cranial nerve that is being assessed.

Mathematics for the Liberal Arts
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This book is a survey of contemporary mathematical topics, most non-algebraic, appropriate for a college-level quantitative literacy topics course for liberal arts majors. The text is designed so that most chapters are independent, allowing the instructor to choose a selection of topics to be covered. Emphasis is placed on the applicability of the mathematics.
Adult Learning Academy - Pre-Algebra (by Debbie Char & Lisa Whetstine)
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Adult Learning Academy - Pre-Algebra is a competency-based, contextualized and accelerated basic academic skills course aligned to the competencies in the credit developmental education Pre-Algebra math course.
Algebra and Trigonometry (OpenStax, Updated 2023)
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"Algebra and Trigonometry provides a comprehensive exploration of algebraic principles and meets scope and sequence requirements for a typical introductory algebra and trigonometry course."
Apex Calculus (by Gregory Hartman & multiple contributors)
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Calculus textbook available in three separate volumes. Click on download to access text in PDF format, in color.

The Basics of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry
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“The Basics of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry is for the one-semester General, Organic and Biological Chemistry course. The authors designed this textbook from the ground up to meet the needs of a one-semester course. It is 20 chapters in length and approximately 350-400 pages; just the right breadth and depth for instructors to teach and students to grasp…” Available for download in PDF format.

World Regional Geography: People, Places and Globalization
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This textbook is "designed for students to experience and study as much of the world as possible within a limited amount of time. It gives students the fundamental concepts and the latest data regarding world places in a concise, easy-to-read format..." To learn more about this book and to read it online click here.
Lifespan Development (by Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French)
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This textbook introduces the idea of lifespan development from a psychological perspective.

Teaching in a Digital Age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning for a digital age (Updated 2019)
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This textbook examines the underlying principles that guide effective teaching in an age when everyone, and in particular the students we are teaching, are using technology.

Musubi: A New Approach to Japanese Language and Culture, Vol. 1
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Two texts available through the UH System Repository for the University of Hawaiʻi: Reading & Writing and Oral Communication.