Digital library
Textbooks, references and open learning resources.
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The DEI Metadata Handbook: A Guide to Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Description
H. E. Wintermute; Heather Campbell; Christopher Dieckman · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2024
Written primarily for professionals in library and information science but with applicability to archives and other information management industries, this handbook provides an overview of metadata work that focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). DEI metadata work has several goals: enhancing diverse representation in descriptive metadata; improving discovery of diverse resources; and mitigating negative effects of inaccurate, outdated, or offensive terminology. Readers will gain a broad awareness of DEI-related issues in metadata creation and management; learn techniques for retroactively reviewing and updating existing metadata to address these issues; and develop strategies to create metadata that better meets DEI needs.
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Community Resilience to Climate Change: Theory, Research and Practice
Dana Hellman; Vivek Shandas · Portland State University Library · 2020
This reader is an Open Educational Resource, meant to accompany a graduate or higher-level undergraduate university course in climate change resilience, adaptation, and/or planning. While the material is geared toward students in urban and regional planning, it may also be of interest to students of urban studies, public health, geography, political science, sociology, risk management, and others. Each section of this volume includes (1) an introductory summary, (2) a reading list with full text articles, (3) student exercises meant to enhance understanding and facilitate in-class discussion, and (4) additional discussion prompts or activities for instructors to use in class. The format of materials is intended to convey key concepts, while leaving ample space for student exploration, discourse, and creativity. Lessons may culminate in an applied, imaginative final project, a sample framework of which is provided at the end of Section VI.
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Quantitative Research Methods for Political Science, Public Policy and Public Administration (With Applications in R)
Hank Jenkins-Smith; Joseph Ripberger · University of Oklahoma Libraries · 2017
The focus of this book is on using quantitative research methods to test hypotheses and build theory in political science, public policy and public administration. It is designed for advanced undergraduate courses, or introductory and intermediate graduate-level courses. The first part of the book introduces the scientific method, then covers research design, measurement, descriptive statistics, probability, inference, and basic measures of association. The second part of the book covers bivariate and multiple linear regression using the ordinary least squares, the calculus and matrix algebra that are necessary for understanding bivariate and multiple linear regression, the assumptions that underlie these methods, and then provides a short introduction to generalized linear models.The book fully embraces the open access and open source philosophies. The book is freely available in the SHAREOK repository; it is written in R Markdown files that are available in a public GitHub repository; it uses and teaches R and RStudio for data analysis, visualization and data management; and it uses publically available survey data (from the Meso-Scale Integrated Socio-geographic Network) to illustrate important concepts and methods. We encourage students to download the data, replicate the examples, and explore further! We also encourage instructors to download the R Markdown files and modify the text for use in different courses.
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Global Women's Issues: Women in the World Today, extended version
Janni Aragon; Mariel Miller · BCcampus · 2012
We cannot solve global challenges unless women participate fully in efforts to find solutions. Female participation in the private sector is a crucial economic driver for societies worldwide. Economic security benefits every facet of a woman's life, with positive effects on the health, education and vitality of families. Learn about women who are changing their societies for the better. This book is based on the twelve critical areas of concern identified in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995: The burden of poverty on women, unequal access to education and training, inequalities and inadequacies in and unequal access to health care and related services, violence against women, the effects of armed or other kinds of conflict on women, including those living under foreign occupation, inequality in economic structures and policies, inequality between men and women in the sharing of power and decision-making at all levels, insufficient mechanisms at all levels to promote the advancement of women, lack of respect for and inadequate promotion and protection of the human rights of women, stereotyping of women and inequality in women's access to and participation in all communication systems, especially in the media, gender inequalities in the management of natural resources and in the safeguarding of the environment, and persistent discrimination against and violation of the rights of the girl child. This extended version of Global Women's Issues: Women in the World Today includes, for each chapter, a summary, key words, multiple choice questions, discussion questions, essay questions, and a list of additional resources. Copies of the original book are also available in Arabic, Portuguese, and Spanish.
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Allocation, Distribution, and Policy: Notes, Problems, and Solutions in Microeconomics
Samuel Bowles; Weikai Chen · Open Book Publishers · 2025
Microeconomics has been transformed in recent decades by the increasing use of game theory, behavioral economics, evolutionary modeling, network economics, mechanism design and attention to limited competition and asymmetric information. Bowles and Chen provide problem sets and exam questions (with carefully explained solutions) based on the new microeconomics, engaging learners with applications to income distribution, limited competition in goods and labor markets, climate change, and other public policy topics. Background notes explain the underlying concepts, their origin in the thinking of the great economists of the past, applications to macroeconomics, and relevant empirical evidence. This work provides a problem-based and policy oriented approach to teaching microeconomics, development, labor, environment, public economics and topics in business, management and public policy to upper level undergraduates, masters and doctoral students.
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World Regional Geography - People, Places and Globalization
University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing · 2016
World Regional Geography: People, Places and Globalization is designed for students to experience and study as much of the world as possible within a limited amount of time. It gives students the fundamental concepts and the latest data regarding world places in a concise, easy-to-read format. This World Regional Geography textbook focuses on the primary issues that have created our cultural and societal structures, and presents them within a framework for global understanding. A pattern of development is outlined from the imprint that European colonialism had on culture to the impact that giant retail corporations like Wal-Mart have on consumerism. Within this framework, the textbook takes a regional approach to globalization and world geography, as each chapter focuses on one subject or region. The first unit covers the basic concepts of location, the environment, and global economic dynamics. Then, these basic concepts, theories, and principles are presented for each region on a chapter-by-chapter basis. The basic concepts are covered using real world examples to provide purpose and relevance for the students. And each lesson begins with learning objectives and ends with key takeaways to stimulate critical thinking about each topic or region. Basic spatial concepts are also tracked throughout the text to connect ideas and apply concepts to every region of the world. Special sections on relevant topics are also distributed throughout the book. With each chapter focused on one region, the textbook provides professors with some course management and flexibility. The text is also brief enough to provide additional flexibility if professors want to include specialized information from outside sources. World Regional Geography: People, Places and Globalization provides students with a working knowledge of world geography in an easy-to-read format. Basic geographic concepts of world places are presented in concise chapters, and each chapter provides a foundational frame
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Bending the Curve: Climate Change Solutions
Veerabhadran Ramanathan; Roger Aines; Max Auffhammer · eScholarship · 2019
Climate change is an urgent problem. Because it is causing new weather extremes and fatal catastrophes, climate change is better termed climate disruption. Bending the curve to flatten the upward trajectory of pollution emissions responsible for climate disruption is essential in order to protect billions of people from this global threat. Education is a key part of the solution. This textbook book lays out ten solutions that together can bend the curve of climate warming below dangerous levels. These solutions fall into six categories: science, societal transformation, governance, economics, technology, and ecosystem management. Four themes emerge from the book: * There is still time to bend the curve. The time to act was yesterday, but if proper actions are taken now, there is still time to avoid disastrous changes. We have to pull on three levers: The carbon lever to achieve zero net emissions of carbon dioxide before 2050; the short-lived climate pollutants lever to drastically reduce concentrations of other major climate pollutants; and the atmospheric carbon extraction lever to remove massive amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. * Bending the curve will require interdisciplinary solutions. Climate change requires integrating approaches from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, so this textbook—unlike most on climate change solutions—does just that, with chapters written by experts in climate science, social justice, economics, environmental policy, political science, energy technologies, ecology, and religion. Bending the curve also requires preservation and restoration of ecological systems. * Bending the curve requires a radical shift in attitude. This shift requires change in behavior, change in our attitudes towards each other, and change in our attitude towards nature. Climate justice has to be an integral part of the solution. * Technology, market mechanism and policy need to be a part of the solution. New market mechanisms an
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Entomology 311 Lab Manual
Melissa Scherr; Daniel Adams; Baylee Bullock · Oregon State University · 2019
Labs in this book supplement the information gained in lecture, as well as providing some perspective and experience with hands-on applications of ideas in pest management. The labs are presented in week-by-week order, so the pre-labs and reading for week 1 are labeled “Pre-Lab 1” and “Week 1 Reading”. Pre-Labs are assignments to be done before lab meets, and will be due at the beginning of Lab. Complete the labs using your textbook, web resources, or the reading assigned for the week. Readings are short 1-3 page “chapters” covering background topics pertinent to the upcoming lab, particular groups of insects/arthropods, or methods used in Pest Management. This should be read before coming to Lab each week. Lab Assignments need to be printed and brought to class so that they can be completed as a group in Lab. It is sometimes helpful to read through the assignment ahead of time to get an idea of the subject matter for the week.
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Conservation Biology in Sub-Saharan Africa
John Wilson; Richard Primack · Open Book Publishers · 2019
Conservation Biology in Sub-Saharan Africa comprehensively explores the challenges and potential solutions to key conservation issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. Easy to read, this lucid and accessible textbook includes fifteen chapters that cover a full range of conservation topics, including threats to biodiversity, environmental laws, and protected areas management, as well as related topics such as sustainability, poverty, and human-wildlife conflict. This rich resource also includes a background discussion of what conservation biology is, a wide range of theoretical approaches to the subject, and concrete examples of conservation practice in specific African contexts. Strategies are outlined to protect biodiversity whilst promoting economic development in the region.
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Introduction to Soil Science
Amber Anderson; Rivka Fidel · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2025
This textbook introduces readers to introductory soil science topics including the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils; soil formation, classification, and global distribution; soil health, soils and humanity, and sustainable land management. The second edition brings forward new information about soil water and soil chemistry alongside updates to the core chapters.
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Fish, Fishing, and Conservation
Donald Orth · Virginia Tech Publishing · 2023
Fish, Fishing, and Conservation is a 389-page, peer-reviewed open textbook intended for undergraduate students who are exploring majors in Fish & Wildlife. It is also relevant to a general audience or for use in courses which explore social and ethical aspects of fish, fishing and conservation. People, places, and approaches to fishing are as varied as the diverse fish fauna that exist on the planet. As conservation planners recognize the value of substantial engagement of stakeholders in decision making and ineffectiveness of rigid top-down management approaches, Fish, Fishing, and Conservation asserts that all peoples must play a role in conservation. Through case studies, engaging narrative and graphics, and exercises, the text explores major motivations for fishing and non-fishing related values, responsible fisheries practices, the rights of all people to decide how to manage and conserve fish, their habitats, and how they are utilized in the context of overfishing as a pressing global problem for which appropriate solutions are not easily found nor implemented. Introductory chapters examine fish, fishing, and why fish matter and examine the role of values in driving conservation initiatives. Fish and their unique sensory capabilities are described along with a review of recent studies to examine issues of pain, sentience, and learning in fishes living in a foreign, underwater world. The text incorporates these new findings in conservation and management leading readers to evaluate and adopt suitable approaches to ethical reasoning which consider the welfare needs of wild and cultured fishes. Later chapters focus on the role of gender in fishing, conservation organizations, recreational fishing, and a focus on specific fisheries that reveal the principles of conservation and management as they play out in major controversies. Additionally, the textbook contains audio recordings of professional profiles by Virginia Tech students. These are linked at the beginnin
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Virginia Cooperative Extension Gardener Handbook
Kathleen Reed; Devon Johnson · Virginia Cooperative Extension · 2023
Virginia Cooperative Extension Gardener Handbook is a guide for all gardeners in Virginia. It covers a variety of topics important for beginning and experienced gardeners, including soil health, native plants, and integrated pest management. This manual provides an understanding of the basics of gardening in Virginia and helps to build a strong foundation of gardening knowledge. Resources for additional reading can be found at the end of each chapter. We encourage readers to take a deeper dive into the topics that interest them and continue their learning journey. Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) is the outreach and engagement branch of Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, Virginia’s land-grant universities. Through VCE, Extension agents, specialists, and volunteers work to share knowledge and advance the wellbeing of all Virginians. This handbook serves as the main training text for new Extension Master Gardener volunteers.
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Conservation techniques
Marcia Meixler; Mark Bain · Rutgers University Library Press · 2022
This book fosters the recognition of options for making progress toward increased environmental conservation through an understanding of the underlying science and practice of a variety of conservation techniques. Today, there are expected benefits from integrated science and practice, and many people are promoting this as the way forward to improve our environment. Over time, trends emerge regarding the best way to conserve the environment, but so far an outstanding solution has not emerged. Each conservation technique has its foundational concepts, limitations, and implementation issues. Reviewing a collection of techniques provides a basis for considering which approach will be best for any specific environmental challenge. This book should advance the recognition of the challenges managing the environment, techniques that can be used to address the challenges, and the ways they might help foster the integration of science and the practice of ecological conservation. This book is intended for students and management professionals who might benefit from a vision and guiding path that leads toward achieving ecological conservation for the long-term. This book is unique in the Open Educational Resources (OER) space as it seeks to present a range of conservation techniques with differing science concepts and applications.
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Monitoring Animal Populations and their Habitats: A Practitioner's Guide
Brenda McComb; Benjamin Zuckerberg; David Vesely; Christopher Jordan · Oregon State University · 2020
We designed this book to offer a comprehensive overview of the monitoring process, from start to finish. Although there are books that deal with sampling design and the quantitative analysis of population data, there are few that provide practical advice covering the entire evolution of a monitoring plan from incorporating stakeholder input to data collection to data management and analysis to reporting. This book strives to present an overview of this process. We also acknowledge that any such effort tends to reflect the interests and expertise of the authors, and as such, there is a distinct emphasis on monitoring vertebrate populations and upland habitats. Although many of our examples tend to focus on bird populations and forested habitats, we have made an attempt to cover other taxa and habitat types as well, and many of the recommendations and suggestions that we present are applicable to a diversity of monitoring programs. This book was written to fill a practical need and also to embrace a set of values that we hold dear. We wanted a book that could be used in a classroom because we feel that students in natural resources programs need to know how to design a monitoring program when they enter the workforce. We also realize that many former students now in the workforce did not have that training and may find this book of value to them.
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Introduction to Environmental Science
Caralyn Zehnder; Kalina Manoylov; Samuel Mutiti; Christine Mutiti · University System of Georgia · 2018
This course uses the basic principles of biology and earth science as a context for understanding environmental policies and resource management practices. Our planet is facing unprecedented environmental challenges, from oil spills to global climate change. In ENSC 1000, you will learn about the science behind these problems; preparing you to make an informed, invaluable contribution to Earth's future. I hope that each of you is engaged by the material presented and participates fully in the search for, acquisition of, and sharing of information within our class.
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Nursing: Mental Health and Community Concepts
Elizabeth Christman; Kimberly Ernstmeyer · Chippewa Valley Technical College · 2022
This textbook is an open educational resource with CC-BY licensing developed specifically for prelicensure nursing students. The e-book and downloadable versions are free. Affordable print versions are published in collaboration with XanEdu and available on Amazon and in college bookstores. Content is based on the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) statewide nursing curriculum for the Nursing Mental Health and Community Concepts course (543-110), the NCLEX-RN Test Plan, 1 and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Education Council’s Crosswalk Toolkit: Defining and Using Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Skills in Undergraduate Nursing Education. 2 Mental health and community health concepts are discussed while emphasizing stress management techniques, healthy coping strategies, referrals to community resources, and other preventative interventions. Nursing care for individuals with specific mental health and substance use disorders is examined, and the nurse’s role in community health needs assessments and caring for vulnerable populations is introduced. The e-book is free and can be viewed online or downloaded as a PDF or other formats for offline use. Affordable print versions are also published in collaboration with XanEdu and are available on Amazon and in college bookstores.
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Neonatal Care Essentials for Nursing and Midwifery
Jacqui Mcgregor · Deakin University · 2025
This resource is aimed at providing student midwives and nurses an entry level understanding of the role of the nurse/midwife in the neonatal environment. The book is divided into chapters following the notions of warm, sweet, pink and calm with an overview of transition to the extrauterine environment. It is paramount that we ask ourselves when caring for premature or haemodynamically unstable term infants, are they warm, are they sweet, are they pink, and finally are they calm. This resource will provide you with an entry level understanding of the pathophysiology behind some of the more commonly seen presentations in the neonatal special care nursery, and more importantly the resource will provide you with management strategies following the warm, sweet, pink and calm concepts.
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Organic and Alternative Livestock Health: A Guide for Veterinarians, Animal Health Workers and Animal Owners
Katie Steneroden; Jenna Bjork; Delaine Quaresma · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2026
This open-access book will introduce veterinarians, veterinary technicians and their students, extension professionals, and animal owners to organic and alternative livestock concerns practices. Specific topics include background of organic agriculture, disease prevention, basic treatments, communication, veterinary practice management, and regulations. The basics of alternatively raised livestock are not traditionally taught in veterinary schools. This book provides a starting point for those interested in non-conventional livestock care to learn more about this growing, evolving area of livestock health practice.
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Enabling and Optimising Recovery from COVID-19
Danielle Hitch; Genevieve Pepin; Kelli Nicola-Richmond; Valerie Watchorn · Deakin University · 2023
This textbook provides readers with up to date knowledge about the assessment, management and support of people experiencing Long COVID. Learning activities draw upon personas co-authored with people with Long COVID.
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Value-based Healthcare
Hanan Khalil · La Trobe University · 2024
This open textbook presents a contemporary overview of Value-based Healthcare: a healthcare delivery and reimbursement model that focuses on achieving the best possible health outcomes for patients while controlling costs. It represents a shift of focus from quantity to quality, and aims to align incentives to bring together the interests of patients, healthcare providers, and payers. The resource covers core content in the following topics: an introduction to value based healthcare, funding models, leadership and governance, models of care, shared decision making models, case studies, global perspectives, resources management and cost control. This text is for Masters-level courses in health administration, public health, nursing, or health information. It will also be useful more broadly for anyone studying health or working in the health sector including clinicians, managers, and policy makers.