OpenEd20

European academic libraries have taken a leadership role in advancing Open Scholarship and Open Science in the last two decades. Recent policy development around Open Science has prompted a surge in implementation activities. Open Education Policy has also been in the making for over a decade, with the UNESCO OER Recommendation ratified in late 2019. It's here that the next wave of university challenges lie as some universities are aiming for a more open, visible and accessible university by embracing open in not only research, but also in education through Open Education (OE).
Scores of Higher Education libraries in the US have taken on the OER challenge building great momentum for over 5 years with over 130 organisations reporting OER activities in the 2019 SPARC OER Report. We believe that European libraries will follow suit and engage more in this area in the coming decade with a similar commitment shown to Open Science in time. However, before we determine what the next strategic steps for libraries are, it is vital that we gain a better understanding of current OE policy and practice in Europe.
In late 2019 SPARC Europe, in consultation with the European Open Education Librarian Network, carried out research into how libraries in Higher Education are supporting OE. The survey was the first of its kind and saw responses from over 20 European countries. This paper will share the survey’s key results. It reveals to what extent respondents have OE policies, and how far libraries have been involved in their conception. The paper then highlights what kinds of OE / OER services libraries currently provide and how far they take the lead or support in these. To support that work, we inform on whether libraries perceive that they have the skills they need to support OE sufficiently and compare this with the current service offering. The paper also shares some of the libraries’ main challenges and opportunities in supporting OE in in the areas of culture and the environment, resources, quality, access and reuse and policy. Finally, we propose recommendations for concrete action whilst making the case for why libraries in Higher Education are important partners in delivering on the UNESCO OER Recommendation.

Learning Outcomes:
providing
- an overview of how libraries in Higher Education are delivering on OE/OER in Europe and reporting on their challenges and benefits based on a recent European survey,
- concrete recommendations and calls to action for libraries to take leadership and engage in OE on OE policy development, OE literacy, cultural change, co-creation or OER discovery.
Whilst raising awareness of the value that libraries bring to OE, showing how they can contribute to the UNESCO OER Recommendation.