This guide is intended as a quick starting point in your search for affordable course materials. Please contact csl-ref@cua.edu for assistance in locating affordable course resources geared to your specific areas of interest.
Open Educational Resources (OERs) are textbooks and other course materials licensed under an open copyright license. Open Educational Resources are free or low-cost, available online, and usually (but not always) adaptable to the needs of the individual instructor.
The sites below offer collections of OER, free, and low-cost casebooks and textbooks. These sites are not comprehensive. Some authors prefer to self-publish on their own websites, or offer their texts through print on-demand at third party sites.
Contact csl-ref@cua.edu for assistance locating texts for your courses.
Casebooks
Harvard Law Library's H20 platform allows users to build a new casebook from scratch or adapt an existing casebook. H2O is easy to use, with clear instructions and a straightforward interface. Users can use cases from the Harvard Law School Library's CaseLaw Access Project, a repository of 6.7 million freely-accessible state and federal decisions, as well as freely available and copyrighted resources. See the FAQ and guide below for more information.
Course Packs
Consider creating print or electronic course packs using free and licensed resources. Depending on the resources you select, you'll need copyright clearance for the content in print course packs. While there are costs associated with print course packs (printing and royalty fees), they are substantially less expensive than casebooks. Electronic course packs in general cost little to nothing, again depending on the resources you select. If the links you provide are to library-licensed content (see box below), there are no associated fees because students are authorized users under the library's contract. Course packs admittedly involve significant instructor time, but also allow faculty members to tailor content to the course.
Lexis+, and Westlaw
Each of these databases contain books and treatises that are available to CUA law students under the library's contract. Use the links below to find resources related to your course.
Lexis Digital, West Academic, Aspen
Each of these platforms contain study aids, treatises, and other resources that are available to CUA law students under the library's contract. Use the links below to find resources related to your course.