Resources for Faculty

We're glad you're interested in the ALS project. Here are some resources to help you get started selecting and creating low-cost or free alternatives to "traditional" textbooks.

Resources Available Through the CSUDH Library

Library Databases - Find specific articles available for free to students and faculty. (See also our list of Ebook databases, below.)
ebrary Title Preview - Use this tool to find titles available for purchase in our ebrary database. The library may be able to purchase titles for your course.
Library E-journals - Search and browse journal titles available for free in the library.
Library e-reserves - This system will allow you to place articles and book chapters online for a semester for a specific course.

Ebook Databases Available Through the CSUDH Library

ebrary - The library provides access to ebrary, where you can find free ebooks to use as course textbooks or supplemental readings.
EBSCO Ebooks - Ebooks from EBSCOHOST, including all titles which used to be in the "NetLibrary" collection.
Safari Tech Books Online - Tech books from O'Reilly, Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, and other tech giants.
UC Press E-Books Collection (Formerly "eScholarship Editions") - Freely-available scholarly books by the UC Press. Titles date from 1982 to 2004.

Resource Lists by the Chancellor's Office

MERLOT - A leading edge, user-centered, collection of peer reviewed higher education, online learning materials, catalogued by registered members and a set of faculty development support services.
Free Course Content - Freely available online course materials.
Free Textbooks - Freely available online textbooks.
Lower-cost Textbooks - How to find textbooks for cheaper.
Authoring Content - Guides and links on how to author your own content.

Resources Available Through the CSUDH Bookstore

Main Bookstore Page.
Faculty Resource Center at the Bookstore.
eBooks available through the Bookstore.
Café Scribe - eBook Licensing available from the Bookstore.

Third-Party Resources

Flatworld - Free, Open-source college textbooks
CourseSmart - Low-cost e-textbooks
Chegg.com - Low-cost and rental textbooks, as well as e-textbooks
BigWords - A textbook meta-search. Finds cheap textbooks from a variety of other websites