Open Repositories

Certain organizations have created repositories which provide users access to a series of material which are freely accessible to all users. Many repositories provide users with a full suite of course materials including syllabus, readings, and tests. They allow users to educate themselves, but also allow educators to use and adapt the content to fit their needs.

OER Commons

OER Commons is an American site for OER content. OER Commons contains several collections focusing on specific areas of study such as Applied Science, History, and Mathematics. Their site allows a user to search based on these broad subjects, and also smaller more rigidly defined subjects. They also provide access to Professional Development, a hub, or microsites.

License: Creative Commons License

 

Alberta Open Educational Resources

The Alberta Open Educational Resources initiative was created in Alberta. This initiative was designed to increase affordability and access to students in university. The resources section of the website provides users with toolkits, webinars, and additional information on the advantages of OER. The repository section of their website provides a list of publications which are free to use and download.

License: Creative Commons License

 

Open Learn

Open Learn is a UK based site for OER that attempts to provide all users with access to educational resources. Their material can be viewed and consumed by subject, or a user can access specific pieces of information, to brush up on specific areas. All of the content on the Open Learn site is licensed under at Creative Commons license. However, they retain copyright of specific portions of their website.

License: Creative Commons License

 

Canadian Museum of Nature

In 2014 the Canadian Museum of Nature created an online database composed of over 700,000 of their records. This database is free to use and provides a user with access to scientific data on plants, animals, fossils, and minerals. A video on their Online Collection Data page describes the scope of their collection and their process of digitization.

License: Creative Commons License

 

BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine)

Base is a search engine which contains over 100 Million documents. Base allows users to complete basic searches or advance searching depending on their knowledge and search skills. Although not all of the documents in the search engine are open access, over 60% are open access. Base is maintained by Bielefeld Universität which is located in Germany.

License: No license listed
 

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