EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) has introduced EBSCO Discovery: Open Education, a centralized platform designed to streamline access to open-access e-books, journals, and Open Educational Resources (OER). This initiative aims to reduce textbook costs and support educational equity by providing libraries and faculty with an efficient means to integrate freely licensed materials into their courses, while managing both expenses and workflows effectively.
As educational costs continue to rise, creating barriers for underrepresented students, EBSCO Discovery: Open Education provides an essential solution by offering easy access to high-quality, openly licensed resources. This platform aligns with the mission of OER to promote affordable, accessible, and equitable education across all student populations.
Built on the advanced EBSCO Discovery Service™ interface, EBSCO Discovery: Open Education replaces the Faculty Select platform, which is set to retire by August 31, 2025. This new platform offers a more integrated and intuitive solution for discovering materials that are freely available to students. Libraries can now provide faculty with a single, centralized location to search for and access content from leading OER providers such as OpenStax and Pressbooks, as well as open-access resources from platforms like DOAJ and JSTOR Open Community Collections. This enables institutions to meet their evolving needs while reducing costs for students.
The platform also represents EBSCO’s ongoing commitment to improving the library experience and fostering educational equity. By facilitating easy access to a broad range of materials, it empowers institutions to provide more affordable and accessible learning resources, supporting efforts to enhance student success and retention.
EBSCO will showcase EBSCO Discovery: Open Education at the 2025 EBSCO User Group in Providence, Rhode Island, from April 29 to May 1, 2025. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore how the platform can further advance open education initiatives and increase access to affordable, high-impact learning resources.
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