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This list of open access (OA) book resources is provided to guide you to platforms where you can find OA books. A description for each platform is provided to help you evaluate their quality and the quality of the OA books they include. We suggest you fully vet any site you use to either publish or consume information from. The presence of any article, book, document, or resource in these databases does not imply an endorsement of the Association of Vision Science Librarians (AVSL). Here are tools to assist you in your evaluation:
- Evaluating Health Information (Medline Plus)
OA Book Repositories and Publishers
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Bookshelf
Description: Bookshelf provides free online access to the full-text of English-language, peer reviewed books and documents in healthcare and biomedical and life sciences at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), National Library of Medicine (NLM). Works added to the bookshelf must qualify on two levels, both the Scientific quality of the title, and the Technical quality of its digital files. To apply to Bookshelf, a title must have a clearly stated peer-review process and demonstrate features that contribute to the objectivity, credibility, and quality of its contents. Website contains a Quick Start Guide, FAQ’s, Tutorials, and Copyright/Permissions if you need additional help and information.
Navigating Tips: To find optometry or ophthalmology texts just enter your search term into the search box to browse available books. There is an advanced search option if you have more specific information that you are looking for. Entries can be filtered further by Publication date, when the resource was Added to Bookshelf, and Resource type (Report, Book, Collection, Documentation, Database), Previous versions or editions, and Search fields).
Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)
Description: DOAB is a community-driven discovery service that indexes and provides access to scholarly, peer-reviewed open access books in 104 different languages and helps users to find trusted open access book publishers. All DOAB services are free of charge and all data is freely available. DOAB requires publishers to apply to take part in DOAB. All books submitted must be academic in nature, available under an open access license (such as a Creative Commons license), and must have been subjected to independent and external peer review prior to publication.
National Academies Press
Description: The National Academies Press (NAP) publishes the publications of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. NAP publishes more than 200 publications per year on a wide range of topics in science, engineering, and medicine, providing authoritative, independently researched information on important matters in science and health policy.
Navigating Tips: Using the search box is recommended and allows you to search for publications only by keyword. You can also browse the collections by either topic of division. Browsing may not be the most effective option since the topics are very broad and subtopics do not include optometry, ophthalmology and vision science.
Cybersight
Description: Cybersight is a not-for-profit telemedicine and e-learning platform founded by Orbis International. The Cybersight library is an international repository for eye health resources such as lectures, surgical videos, quizzes, textbooks, manuals, and simulation resources in nine different languages. Please note that the Cybersight library does not provide evidence of a review or vetting process for resources it includes in its library. While users should always evaluate the resources they find, they should know that these resources may not have been peer reviewed or vetted.
Navigating Tips: Use the filters to find resources of interest. You can also use the website’s search box which will return resources in the library as well as other webpages in the Cybersight website.
IntechOpen
Description: A publisher for peer-reviewed open access books. IntechOpen is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA). They charge authors for publication which does include a peer review process. They also refer authors to Straive through their AuthorMate platform which charges authors for pre-submission editorial services. Their peer review process is not provided in detail. Users may find works of variable quality and should evaluate sources found on this platform with care.
Navigating Tips: Contents are divided up into 4 categories: Physical Sciences, Engineering and Technology; Life Sciences; Health Sciences; and Social Sciences and Humanities. They also list the Most Popular Books, Latest Book Releases, and Your Recently Viewed Content. You can search within the database. Optometry retrieves 41 hits, Ophthalmology 38, and Vision Science 179. Other: They have an accessibility menu and have texts in dozens of different languages.
MDPI Books
Description: MDPI publishes academic open access books and reprints, and believes that open access should not be restricted to academic journals but should also capture and elevate book publishing. Review process is included before publication. Users should take care to review sources found on this site.
Navigating Tips: Use the “Explore our collection of open access books and reprints” search box found on the main page. The search can obtain all book types or be limited to open access books or reprints. They have over 8500 publications. Filters are available to apply to your search.
Internet Archive - Open Library
Description: Open Library is a project of the non-profit Internet Archive, and has been funded in part by a grant from the California State Library and the Kahle/Austin Foundation. The ultimate goal of the Open Library is to make all the published works of humankind available to everyone in the world. Books are added and edited by community members and the software, data, and documentation are all open. It can be a great place to find older medical books for historical purposes.
Navigating Tips: You can browse or search for specific terms. An advanced search function is available.
Medical Heritage Library
Description: The Medical Heritage Library, a digital curation collaborative among some of the world’s leading medical libraries, promotes free and open access to quality historical resources in medicine. Our goal is to provide the means by which readers and scholars across a multitude of disciplines can examine the interrelated nature of medicine and society, both to inform contemporary medicine and strengthen understanding of the world in which we live. The MHL’s growing collection of digitized medical rare books, pamphlets, journals, and films number in the tens of thousands, with representative works from each of the past six centuries, all of which are available here through the Internet Archive. As of June 30, 2024, new content will not be added, but previously added content will continue to be accessible.
Navigating Tips: You can search either the metadata of the works in the collection or you can search the text within each work. The advanced search feature allows you to search specific fields and provides instructions.
Open Educational Resources (OER)
OpenStax
Description: OpenStax is a nonprofit initiative of Rice University that publishes OER textbooks and interactive learning technologies.
Navigating Tips: Browse by subject.
Open Textbook Library
Description: Library of OER textbooks. Includes faculty reviews for each textbook, descriptions, and links to different formats. The Open Textbook Library is supported by the Open Education Network, based in the Center for Open Education in the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development.
Navigating Tips: Search or browse by subject.
OER Commons
Description: Library of OER, including textbooks. Provided by ISKME (Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education).
Navigating Tips: Utilize search and filters.
LibreTexts
Description: Platform for OER textbooks, ancillary materials, and homework platforms. LibreTexts is a nonprofit supported by the Department of Education Open Textbook Pilot Project and the California Education Learning Lab.
Navigating Tips: Use search and filters.
Resources for Finding OA Books and Repositories
- Open access books and journals from Palm Beach State College
- Libguide from Oulu University Library with resources for finding OA books.
- LibGuide with links to OA repositories.
- Links to OA repositories, including institutional repositories.
- Wiki providing a list of OA publishers. Part of the OA Directory.
Last Revised: December 21, 2024, by Karen Alcorn and Jennifer Lantrip