Bowling Green, KY – WKU Libraries partnered with campus faculty to offer the Affordable Textbook Initiative (ATI), which brought an estimated $69,803 in cost savings to WKU students for Fall 2020. Made possible by the generous support from a WKU Sisterhood grant, the goal of the initiative is to make course materials available at no or low cost to WKU students by incentivizing faculty adoption of library-licensed or Open Educational Resources in place of traditional textbooks.

“I want to thank this year’s ATI participants for making the process so enjoyable and inspiring. Together we’re tackling affordability and making a real difference,” said Library Public Services Department Chair and project organizer Laura DeLancey.

The 2020 Affordable Textbook Initiative participants included the following WKU faculty: Scott Bonham, Physics and Astronomy; Dorothea Browder, History; Reagan Brown, Psychological Sciences; Jacob Byl, Economics; Chris Groves, Geography and Geology; Anne Heintzman, School of Professional Studies; Carnetta Skipworth, Chemistry; and Toni Szymanski, School of Teacher Education. 

“We are appreciative of the WKU Sisterhood grant that made this pilot project a reality and look forward to partnering with faculty who are interested in similar initiatives in the future,” said Libraries Dean Susann deVries. 

WKU Libraries anticipates continuing the program in 2021. Faculty interested in participating or learning more about textbook alternatives can contact Laura DeLancey at laura.delancey@wku.edu.