No Tricks, All Treats: Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for OER Programs
Location
Online
Start Date
14-10-2026 1:00 PM
End Date
14-10-2026 2:00 PM
Description
Abstract:
Supported by a 2025 Michelson Spark Grant, our team from Loyola Marymount University and Saint Mary’s College of California developed an OER Marketing and Advocacy toolkit to help institutions strengthen, sustain, and promote their OER and OER programs through campus engagement and faculty advocacy. This session will highlight two components of the toolkit: Marketing and Advocacy for OER Programs: We will share strategies for increasing OER awareness, developing campus-wide messaging, and legitimizing OER outreach efforts within institutions. We will discuss how recognizing and celebrating OER contributions can help strengthen OER programs. OER in Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure (RPT) Processes: We will provide practical guidance for documenting OER contributions on curriculum vitae and promotion portfolios. Participants can review examples of candidate statements, supporting documentation, and other materials that demonstrate how faculty have successfully incorporated their open educational practices into review processes. Attendees will engage with guided reflection activities designed to help OER program leaders assess their current outreach efforts, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop new marketing and advocacy strategies to evaluate and strengthen existing promotional materials and campaigns.
Outcomes:
Attendees will leave with practical, openly licensed templates and resources that can be adapted to their institution. At the end of the session, attendees will be able to:
- Identify strategies for increasing awareness of and engagement in OER and affordability initiatives.
- Adapt customizable, openly, licensed resources to support campus advocacy and faculty recognition.
- Apply approaches for documenting and communizing OER contributions in RPT processes.
Bios:
- Jessea Young, MSLIS, is the Digital Collections at Loyola Marymount University, where she leads initiatives in institutional repository management and digital collections. She is also an organizer of the POCinLIS Summit, advocating for equity and representation in library and information science. Jessea holds an MA in Asian American Studies from UCLA, and her work explores the intersections of race, digital culture, and scholarly communication.
- John Jackson (he/him) is the Head of Outreach & Engagement for the William H. Hannon Library at Loyola Marymount University where he leads the library's efforts in reaching and serving all of its diverse user populations through programming, exhibitions, marketing, publications, and orientations. Prior to coming to LMU in 2015, John was the Reference & Instruction Librarian for Whittier College and has prior experience in cataloging and digital archives work. Currently, John is the Marketing Column editor for Public Services Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Library Outreach and Engagement.
- Karna Younger is the OER librarian for the OER for Social Justice project at Loyola Marymount University. This Open Textbook Pilot initiative guided 11 faculty teams from four private California institutions through the OER creation process. As a result, we achieved over $430,000 in student savings last year. To support all OER authors in promoting their hard work, our inter-institutional team developed the Growing Your OER Program: A Marketing and Advocacy Toolkit, funded by a 2025 Michelson Spark Grant. Prior to this, I was the open pedagogy librarian at the University of Kansas Libraries, and I firmly believe that open education is crucial in empowering students to succeed both in and beyond college.
No Tricks, All Treats: Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for OER Programs
Online
Abstract:
Supported by a 2025 Michelson Spark Grant, our team from Loyola Marymount University and Saint Mary’s College of California developed an OER Marketing and Advocacy toolkit to help institutions strengthen, sustain, and promote their OER and OER programs through campus engagement and faculty advocacy. This session will highlight two components of the toolkit: Marketing and Advocacy for OER Programs: We will share strategies for increasing OER awareness, developing campus-wide messaging, and legitimizing OER outreach efforts within institutions. We will discuss how recognizing and celebrating OER contributions can help strengthen OER programs. OER in Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure (RPT) Processes: We will provide practical guidance for documenting OER contributions on curriculum vitae and promotion portfolios. Participants can review examples of candidate statements, supporting documentation, and other materials that demonstrate how faculty have successfully incorporated their open educational practices into review processes. Attendees will engage with guided reflection activities designed to help OER program leaders assess their current outreach efforts, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop new marketing and advocacy strategies to evaluate and strengthen existing promotional materials and campaigns.
Outcomes:
Attendees will leave with practical, openly licensed templates and resources that can be adapted to their institution. At the end of the session, attendees will be able to:
- Identify strategies for increasing awareness of and engagement in OER and affordability initiatives.
- Adapt customizable, openly, licensed resources to support campus advocacy and faculty recognition.
- Apply approaches for documenting and communizing OER contributions in RPT processes.
Bios:
- Jessea Young, MSLIS, is the Digital Collections at Loyola Marymount University, where she leads initiatives in institutional repository management and digital collections. She is also an organizer of the POCinLIS Summit, advocating for equity and representation in library and information science. Jessea holds an MA in Asian American Studies from UCLA, and her work explores the intersections of race, digital culture, and scholarly communication.
- John Jackson (he/him) is the Head of Outreach & Engagement for the William H. Hannon Library at Loyola Marymount University where he leads the library's efforts in reaching and serving all of its diverse user populations through programming, exhibitions, marketing, publications, and orientations. Prior to coming to LMU in 2015, John was the Reference & Instruction Librarian for Whittier College and has prior experience in cataloging and digital archives work. Currently, John is the Marketing Column editor for Public Services Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Library Outreach and Engagement.
- Karna Younger is the OER librarian for the OER for Social Justice project at Loyola Marymount University. This Open Textbook Pilot initiative guided 11 faculty teams from four private California institutions through the OER creation process. As a result, we achieved over $430,000 in student savings last year. To support all OER authors in promoting their hard work, our inter-institutional team developed the Growing Your OER Program: A Marketing and Advocacy Toolkit, funded by a 2025 Michelson Spark Grant. Prior to this, I was the open pedagogy librarian at the University of Kansas Libraries, and I firmly believe that open education is crucial in empowering students to succeed both in and beyond college.