The materials in this LibGuide were drawn from the following searchable hubs for law OERs:
Other sources for finding OERs and affordable course materials:
Tools from Platforms with Law Content
Getting Meta
In exploring the casebooks and other OERs listed in this guide, consider the following tips about using and assigning such resources:
Checking/fixing links - Many of the open casebooks listed here contain all readings, or a combination of fulltext and stable links to readings, but some rely on links (1) to materials in subscription resources (e.g., Westlaw, NY Times), often due to copyright considerations; (2) to institution-specific courseware, often due to fair use or other copyright considerations; and/or (3) that are subject to linkrot or already unavailable (dead links). While the resource as a whole may still be useful, dead and non-open links will need to be replaced to create a version useful for Law students.
Feature testing - The resources in this guide have not necessarily been tested or evaluated for user-friendly and robust content delivery features. On the assumption that students may choose any of the available formats, a user test of all electronic formats offered should be conducted so that any issues can be identified and addressed.
Accessibility - Standards such as W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are not uniformly applied in OERs. Some good practices to consider include: headings to structure text; meaningful hyperlinks (not “click here”); descriptive alt-text for all uploaded images; transcripts of uploaded media; readable font sizes and high-contrast colors.
Availability of print/offline usage - For in-depth, sustained learning and reading, users still prefer print; offline access (whether via print or a downloaded digital version) is also often helpful for busy students. The quality of print formats offered varies - from on-demand, soft- or hardcover bound prints from Amazon or Lulu, to self-printed PDFs with stable page references and tables of contents, to PDFs or Word documents with dynamically-linked tables of contents that lack page numbering - and should be considered in assessing ease of use.
Giving assignments - Students may use differently paginated formats (print with stable pagination, device with resizable type, editable format with comments/notes that affect pagination, online formats without page numbering), so references to content should be user-tested for clarity and ease of navigation.
The content creation and hosting platforms for OER casebooks (listed at left under Create your Own OER) are a forum for distributing and sharing your content. In addition, discovery platforms allow you to submit a work for listing as a way to promote your OER:
MERLOT - (signup required) "You have to be a member of MERLOT to contribute materials, but membership is free. MERLOT welcomes all to submit learning materials to the collection."
OER Commons - (signup required) "Submit OER from the web for review by our librarians."
Open Textbook Library - criteria for listing in OTL's catalog: (1) openly licensed; (2) complete textbook available as a complete portable file; (3) in use at multiple institutions, or affiliated with a higher education institution; (4) original.