Re: open access textbooks?

[Gavin Baker <gavin@gavinbaker.com>]

See the links at:
http://www.opentextbook.org/

See also:
http://www.maketextbooksaffordable.org/statement.asp?id2=37614

James J. O'Donnell wrote:

> An important argument in favor of Open Access is the 
> observation that authors of journal articles seek no pecuniary 
> reward and are indeed interested mainly in seeing broadest 
> possible dissemination, use, and impact of their work, and the 
> movement capitalizes well on that basic motivation.  In at 
> least one publishing domain, however, academics are indeed 
> interested in the money:  textbooks.  On all sides, students 
> complain about the high prices of textbooks, but they keep 
> going up. Does anyone know of Open Access initiatives designed 
> to bring high quality current science textbooks to students in 
> universities in the developing world?  Movement in that 
> direction could have very positive impact on millions of 
> students in emerging societies.
>
> Jim O'Donnell
> Georgetown U.