The College of University Libraries & Learning Sciences welcomes Jennifer Schaller, assistant professor and Open Educational Resources (OER) Librarian.

Schaller started in the college on June 1 and works in the Digital Initiatives and Scholarly Communications department within the University Libraries.

“I love Open Educational Resources, and I am grateful and also awed by the opportunity to help New Mexico students afford college,” said Schaller. “I’m excited to work in the library at UNM, as I am an alum of the university, so it feels like I am coming home after a long time away.”

The Open Educational Resources (OER) Librarian position was created as part of the CULLS OER Initiative. The OER initiative seeks to provide UNM faculty members with the support they need to adopt low and no-cost textbooks and class material solutions for their courses when it aligns with their instructional objectives and academic freedom. When possible, the UL would like to partner with other higher education institutions and the State of New Mexico to identify resources and support for faculty initiatives in this area.

The University Libraries has recently created a website dedicated to the OER Initiative on campus. On the new website, visitors interested in the OER initiative can take a short survey to receive more information about OER in the future.

Schaller has also created a new OER LibGuide that goes in depth on what are OERs and how they can be beneficial to organizations, instructors, and students. Visitors can also find information on evaluating OERs.

“I am excited that I have the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in Open Educational Resources. This field is constantly changing and growing, so I love having time to keep abreast of developments,” said Schaller.

Prior to working at UNM, Schaller worked as an English professor at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) where she also served as a Presidential Fellow for OER in 2017-2018. Schaller received both her Master in Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Bachelor of Arts in English and Journalism & Mass Communications from the University of New Mexico.