No-cost resources
Open educational resources (OER)
OER are freely available online resources distributed under a copyright license that allows users to retain copies (download, duplicate, store, and manage), reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute. Visit our Open Educational Resources page for an introduction to OERs and links to repositories of free textbooks, courseware, and more.
Integrating library resources into WebCampus
There are a variety of ways to incorporate library resources in WebCampus. Add ebook, journals, articles, streaming media, and more. Most of our library resources use persistent, authenticated links. Different databases and source types have slightly different methods for creating persistent, authenticated links. For instructions on linking to library articles, ebooks, streaming media, and other resources within WebCampus, visit the WebCampus Toolkit.
Library ebooks
Library ebooks are excellent alternatives to requiring the purchase of commercial textbooks. Use Quick Search to search the library catalog, or browse these individual ebook platforms:
- Ebook Central* - Comprehensive, covering all subject areas.
- EBSCO ebooks* - Comprehensive, covering all subject areas.
- ProQuest One Academic* - Comprehensive, covering all subject areas. Select books and full-text in the filter settings to locate ebooks.
- ProjectMuse - Good for humanities and social sciences. Search for content on your topic and then limit to books to locate ebooks. To find ebooks that are freely available in the collection, select "only content I have access to" under the filter for Access.
If we do not own a title, request an ebook purchase or contact your liaison librarian.
* Many ebooks offer unlimited access, but some are limited to one user at a time. Check availability on the ebook's record page. If you need expanded access for a course, contact your liaison librarian so we can inquire about purchasing an expanded license.
Library journals and articles
Library electronic journals and articles are excellent for sharing scholarly research. Use Quick Search to find scholarly articles, or browse the A-Z list of databases to explore disciplinary databases and more electronic content. When sharing an article, use its permalink rather than copying the URL from your browser. The Proxy Link Generator can help you verify and build links that allow students to access resources from off campus.
Streaming media
The library has a collection of streaming media that you can incorporate into your curriculum. The streaming media includes professional training videos, educational films, documentaries, independent films, and popular films.
Our streaming media collection includes professional training videos, educational films, documentaries, independent and popular films. For instructions on adding streaming media to your course as external links or embedded videos, visit the Adding Streaming Media in WebCampus toolkit page.
Library Course Reserves service
Need to make a textbook, article, or other material available for your entire class? Course Reserves lets you make physical or digital materials available for students to borrow from the library, typically for short loan periods
Low-cost course materials
Sometimes the best solution for your class is using a low-cost material. Some publishers offer low-cost books or have created ancillary materials for openly-licensed textbooks available for a small cost.
UNLV Bookstore
- The UNLV Bookstore can help you with price and delivery options when selecting materials for courses such as ebook and rental options.
- Barnes & Noble College OER Plus* is a low-cost course package ($25 per student) delivered through WebCampus. It gives students immediate access to e-texts, videos, activities, and assessments built from OER materials. An optional print companion is available for $15 per student.
Other low-cost options*
*University Libraries has not evaluated these resources for content or accessibility. Therefore, your professional and subject expertise is needed to evaluate and use these resources.
To schedule an appointment to talk more about how to use any of these resources, please visit the liaison librarians page to locate your library subject matter expert.
- Flatworld Knowledge Texts in the $25 to $42 range. Growing collection of titles across disciplines. Many have been adopted by top tier universities and some have won textbook awards.
- Lumen Learning Students gain immediate access to the course (complete with e-text, videos, activities, and assessments) delivered through Canvas. BNC OER+ lowers the cost of learning materials ($25 per student per course 2026). BNC OER+ also offers a print companion for a nominal fee.
- Open Learning Initiative (OLI) by Carnegie Mellon University Create an online course in OLI or just have students use the chapters for course readings. Students don't need an account to use the readings. There are courses on many STEM topics, such as anatomy & physiology, biology, chemistry, statistics, and computing as well as French, Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic and other languages.
- Orthogonal Publishing Publishes "low-cost print editions of high-quality open-content books." Offers several mathematics textbooks.
- Pearson+ Pearson Plus is a monthly subscription service for over 1,500 Pearson eTextbooks with audio, flashcards, notes, expert videos and more. This service includes many textbooks currently in use at the University.
- Top Hat Top Hat is a Dynamic Courseware Platform that includes interactive textbooks, question packs for OER textbooks (including OpenStax), and LMS integration.
- VitalSource VitalSource is an eTextbook platform that offers both lifetime and rental purchases of digital textbooks. It offers an ever-growing catalog of 1.5 million eTextbooks.