Are you a student searching for a cost-effective source of textbooks or does a publisher want to redistribute books without legal concerns? If so, then go for open source textbooks which are easily accessible and free to download, modify, and redistribute under an open license.
Open Textbook Library is the place where you can find almost 1,604 books with such properties. If you want to learn more about this open source, then keep reading because I’ve provided some valuable information for you in the guide.
So, Let’s Start!
Open Textbook Library – Ultimate Online Education Source
Open Textbook Library website is an ultimate source of education source for learners with over 1,604 downloadable openly licensed e-textbooks.
This educational material is available on the web for free access from which you can download your preferred textbook for offline access and read. Further, the whole open library is completely supported by the Open Education Network and licensed under the Creative Commons.
Creative Commons license makes it legal for common men to download, read, redistribute, and adapt to these textbooks’ ideas freely.
In 2022, 15,294 net natives used to visit the website daily. The Open Library had 100,000 weekly visitors in 2022. Stats demonstrate that 15% of weekly visitors used to visit the Open Source Library daily to get some informative textbooks.
What is Open Textbook Initiative (OIT)?
The Open Textbook Initiative (OIT) is a broader movement that promotes open textbook website and launched by the RMIT University Library in late 2018.
It aims to provide learners with the free access of open source textbooks to demonstrate their savings and textbook heroes. The main focus of this movement is to promote Open Educational Resources (OER) to help learners save money.
Are Open Textbook Initiative and Open Textbook Library Same?
Absolutely NOT 🙅🏻♀️.
Open Text Initiative and Open Textbook Library are not the same, but they are relevant to each other 🤓.
The Open Textbook Initiative is a movement of developing and promoting the open source textbooks for students for free. On the other hand, Open Textbook Library is a specific website or online virtual space where the textbooks are stored.
What is an Open Source Textbook?
Open Source Textbook is an online book that is not under any copyright restrictions and laws, and available for free.
These types of books are under open license that allows individuals to modify and redistribute them without any restriction laws. You can access these digital assets when you are online and download them for further modification and redistribution process.
Examples: Open Textbook Initiative and OpenStax both are movements that provide and promote open source textbooks on Open Source Library.
How to Cite Open Source Textbook?
Imagine you are doing research on a specific topic and need citations to prove your argument. Then you create citations from different sources and include them in your research in a cited manner. But how to cite an open source textbook in your search?
Here are some simple steps of how you can do this:
Firstly, you need to cover your reference, quote, or evidence in your research to strengthen your research work. Remember citing such a reference or quote would be exactly according to the real means of online citation.
Now, the statement for which you want to give a reference at the end of the research with numeric values, like 1, 2, 3. Remember your citation would be considered accurate when you line up your references accurately.
Finally, the time has come to address your citation on the research at the end. Here is the manner of how you can give references:
Textbook title, Author(s) or Editor(s), Copyright year, and Publisher name and Place.
Example: If I would give you an example of a citation, then I would like to choose Lolita for more ease. Lolita, Vladimir Nobakov, 1992, and Alfred A. Knopf, New York.

Before You Go
Well, here are some the details about the Open Textbook Library, which is the ultimate online education solution for learners. Further, I’ve tried to explain the history of OTI means Open Textbook Initiative which was a movement launched by RMIT University Library in late 2018.
The main motive for such an online educational movement is to provide students with one of the most cost-effective study techniques. So, you can bear fruits from such approaches and enhance your learning experience in real time with technology involvement.
Before You Go
Yes. Open Textbook is safe and supported by Open Education Network, which is a legitimate forum on the web.
Open Library has 1,604 books available for learners to download and redistribute.
The Open Library was founded by David Ernst in 2012 to help other faculty members find and use textbooks at the University of Minnesota.