Monash University Library has one of the largest collections of any academic library in Australia with nearly 4.7 million items. Access to these resources provides critical support for students and academics.
We have an electronic-first policy
When it comes to purchasing new resources we have an electronic-first policy. This means we always try to source electronic titles where possible.
By taking this approach, we’re able to support the greatest number of people, regardless of whether they can physically visit a branch or not.
This approach is particularly valued by staff and students that may have part-time commitments or work and study remotely.
We work with educators to provide access to course readings
Every year, our Library works with educators at Monash to create and update their course readings list in Leganto. This helps students access relevant resources.
The Library proactively orders resources listed in Leganto to support access and equity. We acknowledge that restrictive commercial licences – particularly for e-textbooks – can be problematic for students, who cannot afford their own copy.
We’re advocating for changes that will improve this model both within Monash and the wider industry.
We advocate for greater use of quality, free-to-use textbooks.
At the Library, we are building a new service to harness our expertise and to support Monash’s educators to adopt, adapt or create Open Educational Resources (OERs).
OERs are quality, free-to-use learning, teaching and research materials. Their use is a boost to equity, diversity and inclusion and can:
- Reduce financial barriers for students
- Enable the recognition of groups or individuals often excluded from the academic sphere
- Support the inclusion of underrepresented voices
- Boost access to resources for students enrolled in short courses
We have partnered with Monash academics to produce four of these open textbooks, and will pilot an OER-adoption program with faculties and departments across Monash.
