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CSU Bookstore and Open Educational Resources

Information about Open Educational Resources (OER).

Accessible Course Materials Options for Students

The CSU Bookstore understands course materials are necessary for student success, and having day-one access to the required course materials can dictate a student's success in class. The CSU Bookstore works with faculty and University Libraries to facilitate access to free or low-cost Open Educational Resources, or OER materials.

How to Find OER Materials at the CSU Bookstore

The CSU Bookstore provides multiple choices for CSU students based on how they learn best - free online content, or inexpensive printed versions. To find free online content, students can use the download links we provide in the store and on our course materials listings on our website. We also have a listing of courses using OER materials listed below.

image of a QR code shelf tag on the sales floor of the CSU Bookstore.

In-Store: Scan QR Codes

Students can access online course materials by scanning QR codes with a smartphone. Look for the GREEN tags around the store. These codes are located in the CSU Bookstore near other materials required for the course.

Image of an OER book listing on the CSU Bookstore website with a sample download link.

Online: Click to Access

For most OER materials, we will provide information about courses using OER in the course materials listing. 

Shop for Course Materials

Courses with OER materials will link to this page to download resources. Clicking on any of the links below will open a new tab/window where you can access the materials.

OER at Colorado State University

Colorado State University has a long track record, dating to the early 1990s, of using and creating high-quality open-educational resources and publishing peer-reviewed open-access publications that are frequently used to support instruction in undergraduate and graduate courses.

CSU also has a strong record of support for the use of OER and other low-cost instructional materials in courses across disciplines, a record that has contributed to steadily declining costs for course materials over the past several years. By increasing the use of OER, students benefit through high-quality peer-reviewed open-access publications that fit the classroom context and a reduced cost of course materials.

Learn More About OER

See Archived OER Data

The CSU Bookstore will keep OER adoption information up for at least three years after the term passes, providing this information for future courses. Please click the links below to access prior term OER data.

Fall 2023 OER Listing

The following table is a listing of OER materials instructors at CSU adopted for Fall 2023 and any applicable links to download materials. This information is compiled using information provided to us by instructors and course materials coordinators in the colleges and/or departments.

Some titles linked are on eReserve through the CSU Libraries. Other materials are restricted to use on an on-campus network. Students must access these titles from a computer on an on-campus network or using a secure proxy to access materials off-campus. Please connect with the CSU Student Help Resources for assistance with accessing electronic materials from the library.

IMPORTANT NOTE: While we make every attempt to ensure this information is correct, it is subject to corrections. Please note the section numbers listed below; some course sections may be using OER materials, while others may choose to use other materials. For the latest Course Materials adoptions, please click here.

If you are an instructor who is using OER materials in your course, please send an email to [email protected] so we can list your course materials requirements below.


Student must be connected to an on-campus network or secure proxy to access these materials.
Dept / Course Section(s) Author Title Link (If Available)
ANTH 100 2 BROWN PERSPECTIVES Download
ANTH 372 1, L01 WHITE HUMAN OSTEOLOGY Download
BUS 201 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 401, 402, 403, 404, 850 GITTELL SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS CASEBOOK Download
BZ 120 1 OPENSTAX BIOLOGY Download
BZ 120 1 MICHAELS SCIENCE OF PLANTS Download
BZ 471 1 ALLAN STREAM ECOLOGY Download
BZ 581A1 801 SMALL CANNABIS: A COMPLETE GUIDE Download
CIVE 260 1, 2, 801 BAKER ENGINEERING STATICS Download
CIVE 438 1, 2, 801 DAVIS INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING Download
CS 542 1, 801 EISENSTEIN NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING Download
CS 542 1, 801 JURAFSKY SPEECH & LANGUAGE PROCESSING Download
DSCI 320 1 WRIGHT OPTIMIZATION FOR DATA ANALYSIS Download
ECE 504 1, 801 PEATROSS PHYSICS OF LIGHT AND OPTICS Download
ECON 202 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 220 CORE ECONOMY: ECONOMICS FOR A CHANGING WORLD Download
ECON 204 1, 3, 4 CORE ECONOMY: ECONOMICS FOR A CHANGING WORLD Download
ECON 204 1, 3, 4 OPENSTAX PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS 3e Download
ESS 411 1 CHAPIN PRINCIPLES OF TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY Download
ESS 555 401, 801 MATTHEWS LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT Download
GEOL 120 1, 2 JOHNSON INTRODUCTION TO GEOLOGY Download
HDFS 217 401, 801 PARIS INTRODUCTION TO CURRICULUM FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION Download
HDFS 318 401, 801 KAYWORK AN EDUCATORS GUIDE TO INFANT AND TODDLER DEVELOPMENT
Student must be connected to an on-campus network or secure proxy to access these materials.
Access
HDFS 445 401, 801 PARIS SAFETY, HEALTH, AND NUTRITION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION Download
HDFS 470A L01, L02, L04 GILBERT EMOTION COACHING WITH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN SCHOOLS
Student must be connected to an on-campus network or secure proxy to access these materials.
Access
HDFS 492 2 ONEAL-MCELRATH WINNING GRANTS STEP BY STEP : THE COMPLETE WORKBOOK ... Download
HIST 150 801 LOCKE AMERICAN YAWP: VOLUME 1: TO 1877 Download
LIFE 102 720 OPENSTAX BIOLOGY Download
LIFE 103 720 OPENSTAX BIOLOGY Download
MATH 160 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 103, 106, 801 BOELKINS ACTIVE CALCULUS Download
MATH 255 1 STEINER THE CHEMISTRY MATHS BOOK Download
MATH 360 1 HOFFSTEIN AN INTRODUCTION TO MATHEMATICAL CRYPTOGRAPHY Download
MATH 366 1 JUDSON ABSTRACT ALGEBRA: THEORY AND APPLICATIONS Download
MATH 369 1, 2, 4, 5, 801, 888 KUTTLER FIRST COURSE IN LINEAR ALGEBRA Download
MATH 425 1 STILLWELL MATHEMATICS AND IT'S HISTORY Download
MATH 450 1 KINCAID NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
Student must be connected to an on-campus network or secure proxy to access these materials.
Access
MATH 570 1 HATCHER ALBEBRAIC TOPOLOGY Download
MECH 513 1 LOPER MODELING AND SIMULATION IN THE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING LIFE CYCLE Download
MECH 513 1 XUE SYSTEM SIMULATION TECHNIQUES WITH MATLAB AND SIMULINK Download
MIP 250 1, 401 OPENSTAX BIOLOGY Download
MIP 250 1, 401 HUSEBY EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY Download
MIP 250 1, 401 OPENSTAX MICROBIOLOGY Download
MIP 450 1 OPENSTAX MOLECULAR GENETICS OF BACTERIA
Student must be connected to an on-campus network or secure proxy to access these materials.
Access
MKT 661 401, 801 NIOSI INTRODUCTION TO CONSUMER BEHAVIOR Download
MU 131 1 MORGAN-ELLIS RESONANCES:ENGAGING MUSIC Download
MU 343 1 JHANGIANI RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY Download
PH 353 1 PEATROSS PHYSICS OF LIGHT AND OPTICS Download
REL 430 1 THRASHER REAL ESTATE MARKET ANALYSIS
Student must be connected to an on-campus network or secure proxy to access these materials.
Access
STAA 577 801 JAMES AN INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL LEARNING: THE FREE EBOOK Download
SOWK 600 1, 2, 3 MALDIN FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH Download
SOWK 600 1, 2, 3 DECARLO GRADUATE RESEARCH METHODS IN SOCIAL WORK Download
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