Affordable Course Materials

McMaster University Libraries is here to support instructors in creating zero-cost courses by adopting affordable and accessible materials. Explore our resources, services, and expertise in open educational resources (OER), eReserves, print textbooks, and ebooks. 

The 2025 McMaster Textbook Affordability Survey explores the impact of textbook costs on McMaster students, and the importance of affordable materials in student success. Read the Report

Why It Matters

Why It Matters

Zero-cost course materials are about equity and democratization of education. By choosing library resources, ereserves, or open educational resources, instructors support the success of all students in the class. Student learning outcomes are shown to improve when concerns about access to required materials are alleviated (Cho & Permzadian, 2024). 

The high cost of commercial textbooks and digital learning resources

  • Between 2020 and 2025, the price of textbooks increased 12% (US Official Inflation Data, 2026). This follows a period of exponential price growth, during which textbook costs rose at 4x the rate of inflation between 2006 and 2013 (iCEV, 2017).
  • 65% of students at McMaster have opted not purchased a textbook, with cost being the main factor contributing to their decision (Bekele, Harding & Kehoe, 2026).
  • Additional financial burdens are placed on students when they are required to purchase digital learning resources for participation or assignments. Many students perceive this as "pay to win", and will weigh the cost of the resource against the negative impact to their grade (Bekele, Harding & Kehoe, 2026).
  • Students are also frustrated by subscription models where they pay for access to the online textbook and resources for a defined period, e.g. 6 months. Given the high costs, they feel they should purchasing something physical or permanent (Bekele, Harding & Kehoe, 2026). 

How students are impacted by course costs

Not having consistent access to the required course material impacts student wellness, mental health, and achievement in the course. For students at McMaster who didn't purchase a textbook, 23% indicated they were very concerned and 55% were somewhat concerned (Bekele, Harding & Kehoe, 2026).

"They're a huge barrier for students. It's stressful to worry about textbook expenses each year." - Level 5 Commerce Student

"Course material which is a required purchase has caused me to skip a weeks or two worth of groceries just so I wouldn’t miss out on the %  grade that the required material represented." - Level 4 Business Student

"After paying so much for my tuition, I do not have anything left for textbooks. It is unfortunate that I do not get the benefits of a textbook (extra bonus marks, extra knowledge, better preparation, better involvement in class etc) simply because I cannot afford it." - Level 2 Social Science Student

Library support for zero-cost courses

"My professors are very good about assigning readings that can be acquired through the McMaster library, allowing us to not have to purchase textbooks. This is fantastic for me because I am a student with a low socioeconomic status." - Level 4 Social Science Student

Explore the tabs to learn more about the supports offered by McMaster University Libraries for course affordability, including:

  • Locating, adopting, adapting, or creating Open Educational Resources, including the OER Grant Program.
  • Arranging access to free and copyright compliant readings in Avenue to Learn with eReserves.
  • Systematically purchasing print and ebook titles in advance of the current semester, in partnership with the Campus Store, as part of the Curriculum-Driven Acquisitions project.

eReserves

eReserves

eReserves is a service for instructors that provides free and easy access for students to all their reading materials in one list, integrated with Avenue to Learn.

  1. Send us your syllabus or reading list using the eReserves form.
     
  2. Library staff will set up the readings for your course. We will:
    • Scan and upload book chapters and articles
    • Provide persistent links to library resources, webpages, and open access educational resources
    • Acquire new books and eBooks for the collection
    • Purchase copyright permissions, where required and available
    • Ensure readings meet student accessibility needs
       
  3. Connect to the eReserves module in your Avenue to Learn course.
     

eReserves

Curriculum-Driven Acquisitions (CDA)

Curriculum-Driven Acquisitions (CDA)

Beginning in Winter 2026, McMaster University Libraries undertook a partnership with the Campus Store to purchase course materials from the booklist of adopted textbooks. The libraries now have broad availability of current semester textbooks in print and online. 

To find a textbook, search Omni by title or course code. 

Ebooks

Many textbooks and other course materials are available as ebooks through the libraries. Ebooks may have limitations on the number of simultaneous users; however, unlimited user licenses have been purchased where available. 

Large publishers often do not give libraries the option to purchase ebook versions of their textbooks, and only license individually to students.

Winter 2026

Beginning in the Winter 2026 semester, McMaster University Libraries owned 143 titles from the Campus Store booklist as ebooks, 96 of which had unlimited-user licenses. We purchased 13 additional new ebooks with unlimited-user licenses. 

While calculating true student savings is challenging, if all enrolled students had used the library version of an unlimited-user license instead of purchasing the book at list price, there would have been $557,240 in potential student savings for the Winter 2026 semester. 

Print Reserves

New textbooks purchased in print through the Campus Store partnership will be placed on reserve at Mills, Thode, Innis, or Health Sciences. Loan times vary, but most are 2 hour loans to ensure availability to students in the class.

Instructors can use the Course Reserve Request Form to have a book placed on reserve. 

Winter 2026

From the Winter 2026 Campus Store booklist, the libraries held 181 textbook titles in print, and purchased 218 new print books for the collection.

Open Educational Resources (OERs)

Open Educational Resources

  • What is an OER? UNESCO (n.d.) defines Open Educational Resources (OER) as "teaching, learning and research materials in any medium – digital or otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions".
  • OER benefits:
    • Textbook affordability is a serious issue: Many students are unable to purchase required textbooks due to prohibitively high costs, or will avoid taking courses with expensive required texts (Martin, Belikov, Hilton, Wiley, & Fischer, 2017; Skowronek, 2017)
    • OER efficacy literature indicates that assigning open textbooks has been found to result in student performance that is equal to, or better than that of students assigned commercial textbooks (Jhangiani, Dastur, Le Grand, & Penner, 2018)
    • Post secondary students taking courses utilizing OERs are able to achieve comparable learning outcomes while saving a subsantial amount of money (Hilton, 2016)

Learn more about locating and using OER at McMaster:

Loanable Technology

Loanable Technology

Loanable Technology & Equipment

Technology and equipment required for course assignments is available for loan at the Mills, Thode and Innis libraries. This includes items such as:

  • Calculators
  • Labcoats and goggles
  • Molecular modelling sets
  • Presentation remotes
  • Phone and laptop chargers
  • Display adaptors
  • Media and recording equipment

The full list of inventory and availability can be found in the Loanable Technology Featured Collection.

Tips for Instructors

Making Courses More Affordable

Instead of selecting a commercial online textbook, consider using items already available through the libraries. Check Omni for books, ebooks, book chapters, articles, videos, and more.

eBooks
  • Many ebooks have unlimited, concurrent user access which makes them great options for large classes. Ask the library if the terms of use aren't clear from the ebook landing page.
Print Books
  • Where possible, the library will purchase a copy of current course textbooks in print or digital for the collection. 
  • Personal copies can also be added to print reserves.
Loanable Technology and Equipment
  • There are many items for loan at the libraries such as calculators, molecular modelling kits, lab coats, and more. Browse the loanable technology collection and let your students know these items are available to borrow for free.

eReserves are reading lists of materials free to students enrolled in the course, integrated into Avenue to Learn. They can include links to articles and ebooks, PDFs of scanned book chapters, web links, and more. Library staff will set up your reading list using your syllabus, ensuring that items are accessible and compliant with copyright and license agreements. 

OERs are learning, teaching, and research materials that are released under an open license. This open license allows for no-cost access, re-use, adaptation, and redistribution by others. McMaster University Libraries can help you locate, adopt, adapt or create an OER to replace your commercial textbook.

Subscriptions to digital learning resources can be an unanticipated course cost. Students feel that after paying for tuition and textbooks, having to pay to complete quizzes or receive participation grades is unfair. The libraries cannot offer a free alternative to these materials. 

"It was nearing the end of the semester, I did not have the funds to renew my iclicker subscription and thought that it wouldn't impact my grade (although it very much did)."

“I feel like if we are paying for the course, things like tophat and iClicker should come with it and not be an extra expense on our heads just to receive a grade, it’s almost like its pay to win in some classes.”

"I think it is unfair that programs such as iclicker that count for up to 5-10% of your grade is mandatory as class participation however its cost somewhat makes individuals like myself have to ponder whether it is worth buying the subscription or not."

Place your course adoption requests with the Campus Store early. This ensures that course materials are listed in the Booklist, and students can compare prices. 

The libraries review the Campus Store Booklist to make purchases for the library collection. Submitting your course adoption requests early allows us more time to purchase and process books from the Campus Store, ensuring they are available when classes begin.

The Campus Store Booklist also lists eReserves and Open Educational Resources (OER).

Sticking with an older edition allows students to purchase second-hand copies or use lower-demand library copies. If using the newest edition, make it clear the differences between editions, and if an older edition would be an acceptable alternative.

As early as possible, let your students know:

  • How to access their course materials (i.e. through the Campus Store, Avenue to Learn, eReserves, etc.)
  • Which course materials are required and which are recommended
  • If previous editions can be used instead of the current edition
  • If Immediate Access is being used, and how to opt-out
  • If there are alternatives to access, such as library print reserves

Consider using Simple Syllabus to make your course material list accessible and publicly available in a centralized location for prospective students.

We can help purchase new books and ebooks for the collection, set up access to your reading list through A2L, and ensure your readings are accessible and copyright compliant. Contact ereserve@mcmaster.ca

We can also help you locate and adopt an Open Educational Resource (OER) to replace or supplement your commercial textbook. Contact oer@mcmaster.ca 

Attribution

Tips on Making Courses More Affordable has been adapted from "10 easy things you can do to reduce the cost of your classes" from Dominican University of California.