Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials (including textbooks, courses, learning objects, tests, media, etc.) that can be freely used, revised, remixed, retained and redistributed without charge. OER often have a Creative Commons license that states specifically how the material can be used, reused, adapted, and shared. They may also be in the public domain.
Open Access Resources are available online free for people to use, but they may not be revised, remixed, retained, or redistributed. Examples include state government documents (U.S. government websites are in the public domain), articles from open access journals, websites, etc.
Library-Licensed Materials are resources that a library subscribes to for use by their users. These are free for the users because the library has already paid an access cost. Similar to Open Access Resources, they can be used but not revised, remixed, retained, or redistributed.
Fair Use provides for some leeway in using Open Access and Library-Licensed materials with students in a classroom setting (in person and online). Learn more about OER licenses and copyright.
To learn more about OER and Open Access Resources, see the Faculty Guide to Open Educational Resources (OER).