Open books are a type Open Educational Resources (OER), which are teaching and learning materials made freely available with an open license. This means that educators, students, and anyone interested in learning can access, utilise or improve these OERs without restrictions, making education more accessible and adaptable for everyone.
Open Textbooks – an open textbook is similar to a traditional textbook other than it is made freely available with an open license for people to use, adapt and build upon.
Open Monographs are like traditional monographs, but they are free to read. However, they frequently come with licenses that prohibit adaptation, and as a result, and because they are research-based, they are rarely considered OERs.
What other open books are there?
There are many different types of open books out there, including interactive guides, anthologies, creative works or compilations of poems or essays. Your vision may or may not be considered an open textbook but could be a valuable type of Open Educational Resource that is well suited to book format.