Open Education Week 2026 is March 2nd to 6th

This year’s theme is “The town square of open education.” The goal of #OEWeek26 is to create a place to connect, share tips and ideas, and present open textbooks, materials, and resources.

In recognition of Open Education Week, University Libraries encourages all to learn more about Open Education and the resources that are available through the libraries and beyond.

What is Open Education?

The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) defines Open Education as, “an ecosystem that encompasses resources, tools, and practices that are free of legal, financial, and technical barriers and can be fully used, shared, and adapted in the digital environment.”

Open Education includes Open Educational Resources (OER), Open Access journal articles, Open Data and Research, and Open Pedagogy. University Libraries support open education through the Zero Cost Textbook Program, Open Access (OA) article fee agreements, and Open Research Data guidelines.

University Libraries also supports open education through the OHIO Open Library, which is Ohio University’s open institutional repository. Ohio University Press has also “quadrupled open access titles with support from University Libraries, partners.”

Open Education is a global movement that not only benefits students at Ohio University, but also supports local, regional and global lifelong learners and ties directly into Ohio University Libraries’ Strategic Plan, Ohio University’s Dynamic Strategy and even the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #4 to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”

Visit Open Education Global’s OE Week 2026 calendar to find global events you can attend to learn more about Open Education. Share OEWeek26 on your social media and tag us at #OhioUniversityLibraries or #AldenLibrary.