Affordable Materials Project Was Fortuitous During Pandemic

December 2, 2020

In a year when libraries were scrambling to provide greater remote access to essential resources, Villanova’s Affordable Materials Project (AMP) was beneficial. A few years ago, Falvey Memorial Library began collaborating on AMP with Villanova’s Center for Access, Success and Achievement (CASA), the Office of the Provost, and the Villanova University Bookstore.

In simple terms, the AMP committee works on identifying faculty adopted course materials that the library can acquire as an eBook which then is linked to the course in the course/content management system. The greatest advantage of AMP has been to reduce the burden on students when it comes to acquiring texts required for courses.

Evidence of the value of AMP had been mounting:

A Closer Look at How AMP Initiatives Impact the Cost of College Textbooks

Students Save Money with AMP eBooks

This past fall Villanova library staff members gave virtual presentations about AMP to enthusiastic audiences; such as “Getting Better All the Time: Villanova University’s Affordable Materials Project” ACRL Delaware Valley Chapter Fall 2020 Program, and “The Time Has Come: For More Affordable Course Materials” at The Charleston Conference.

Falvey Library’s, John Banionis, Metrics and Assessment Librarian, and Marianne Watson, Director of Resource Management and Description, also participated in a panel discussion “So Many Ways to Save: Library Access to Course Materials” at the second annual Affordable Learning PA Summit, held virtually from Sept. 9-25, 2020.

Linda Hauck from Villanova’s library and Bernadette Mania from Villanova’s bookstore presented “OER Strange Bedfellows: Panel Discussion on Bookstore & Library Collaborations” at the Affordable Learning PA, Education & Training, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020.

To find out more about Villanova’s Affordable Materials Project, email the committee at amp@villanova.edu.