Bridging the Chasm: Faculty Support Roles for Academic Librarians in the Adoption of Open Educational Resources

Abstract

Despite demonstrated student benefits from Open Educational Resources (OER), especially those in community colleges, faculty adoption remains marginal. This study is framed by diffusion of innovations theory, which acknowledges that adoption of an innovation must exceed a tipping point to ensure enduring success. The study focuses on community college faculty with demonstrated OER engagement, on the basis that these faculty have greater likelihood to adopt OER and help “bridge the chasm.” In surveying faculty, we tested a range of roles librarians have played in supporting OER adoption. Findings show that faculty value librarians’ roles in discovery, cataloging, and information literacy but are less open to librarians operating outside these traditional roles, including mentoring and policy development. Faculty were supportive of librarians’ role in advocacy for OER and, overall, felt that librarians have a role to play in the OER movement on their campuses.