Ideas for zero-cost contemporary literature and translations

[Anna Mills]

Is it possible to find contemporary novels from diverse writers that students can access for free?  What about collections of contemporary translations of world literature? Two colleagues recently asked about this, and I'm sure others have the questions since so many California colleges now are making plans for ZTC programs.

Our OER Discipline Lead coordinator, librarian Rachel Arteaga helped me understand how OER librarians navigate the complex landscape of purchasing licenses for e-book use. It seems there are some available unlimited licenses for a few contemporary literature books, but not very many. (There may be more nonfiction options) Check with your OER librarian!

I got a tip from a colleague at Golden West College that she always assigns books available on the Hoopla platform, which her public library subscribes to. These are available to an unlimited number of users at a time.

I also got a tip about Biblioboard, which has a few thousand fiction titles.

Does anyone else have suggestions or questions about this?

Thanks,

Anna Mills