LibGuides: Teaching Materials for Faculty: Required Text, Assignments, Affordable Options, and more: Affordable Materials including Open Education Resources

Affordable Materials - Overview

Tips for making course materials more affordable:

1. Use Law & Falvey Libraries' Existing Electronic Resources - ebooks and articles

2. Ask you liaison librarian to research ebook purchase options for libraries; if available, the law library will consider purchasing an ebook that all students could access

3. Delay adopting a new edition of a casebook; consider the availability of affordable used copies

4. Adopt Open Education Resources

5. Create a course packet with only the parts of the casebook you want to use

6. Submit Textbook list early so students may shop for best prices - this also gives the library time to purchase some textbooks for our Reserve collection

H2O - free, professor created content

H2O - Open Casebook site
Use materials compiled by other law professors or create your own open, free casebook. All materials in H2O are licensed CC BY-NC-SA and free to copy, reuse and remix. H2O is made by the Harvard Law School Library.
H2O Example: Open Internet Law by Michael Risch
"This casebook tracks a broad survey of internet law topics. The approach is to silo by subject matter rather than take an exceptionalist view, though all of the material focuses on the internet and cyberlaw generally. But make no mistake that Easterbrook's view is winning here." First published June 2014.

Open Casebook Series - lower cost print casebooks

An option for high quality, print editions of 1L course materials created on H2O."The Open Casebook series leverages free and open texts created by distinguished legal scholars on Harvard’s H2O platform. Created by Harvard Law School’s Library Innovation Lab, H2O facilitates the building, sharing, and remixing of open-access digital textbooks, with cases drawn from the Lab’s companion Caselaw Access Project, which scanned and made freely available access to all American case law. Authors can create their own original books with H2O, finding, and adapting existing texts to refine and build upon one another’s work." More information.

Open Casebook Series titles:

Torts! 3rd edition by By Jonathan L. Zittrain and Jordi Weinstock

Contracts 3rd edition (2023) by By Randall Kennedy

Open Access Course Materials

OER Commons
"OER Commons is a public digital library of open educational resources. Explore, create, and collaborate with educators around the world to improve curriculum." It includes law-related resources from a number of sources including CALI.
OER Commons search for LAW and GRADUATE LEVEL
use filters to focus search
EXAMPLE: American Contract Law for the Global Age from CALI
Overview:
American Contract Law for a Global Age by Franklin G. Snyder and Mark Edwin Burge of Texas A&M University School of Law is a casebook designed primarily for the first-year Contracts course as it is taught in American law schools, but is configured so as to be usable either as a primary text or a supplement in any upper-level U.S. or foreign class that seeks to introduce American contract law to students. As an eLangdell text, it offers maximum flexibility for students to read either in hard copy or electronic format on most electronic devices

ChartaCourse

ChartaCourse allows law professors to create course materials or use those from other law professors. Described as "Law school course materials formatted as concept maps with hundreds of cases, problems, videos, diagrams and much more embedded within each map, completely customizable for each professor. A community of scholars sharing ideas, materials and royalties." Students pay a flat $49 for your version of a course.

Professors Create a ChartaCourse account link

CALI (Computer Assisted Legal Instruction)

CALI offers e-textbooks and online tutorials created by law professors.

CALI lessons are online tutorials covering a variety of topics and practice areas.

CALI's eLangdell textbooks are Creative Commons licensed and peer-reviewed: free to law faculty and students at CALI schools.

Our CALI subscription is provided by the Law Library. To set up an account, please contact your liaison or email reference for an authorization code.

CALI - About
CALI is a non-profit consortium of law schools, law libraries, and related organizations. Almost every United States law school is a member of CALI and they make up the bulk of our membership. In keeping with our Mission Statement, CALI conducts applied research and development in the area of computer-mediated legal education and creates tools that increase access to justice.

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Mission: "CALI advances global legal education through computer technology, employs research, collaboration, and leadership to assist a diverse audience in the effective use of this technology in legal education, and promotes access to justice through the use of computer technology."
CALI Videos
Short videos explaining CALI features as well as videos of past CALI annual conferences and other topics related to legal education.

LiveCarta - now includes LawCarta

LiveCarta's LAW books
"Manage your materials and easily assign them to students in one, easy space. You can select books and papers from the catalog or create your own. Customize and annotate your own versions to match your lesson plan, and share it with your class."