UNG Press director named to committee

Dr. BJ Robinson, director of the University of North Georgia (UNG) Press, has accepted an invitation to serve a three-year term on the Open Access Committee for the Association of University Presses.

"I'm especially pleased to have been asked to liaise with another, related Committee, the Equity, Justice, & Inclusion Committee," Robinson said. "This shared focus on equal opportunities and economic justice seems to me the heart of open access."

The invitation comes after the UNG Press became an affiliate member of Association of University Presses, the accrediting body and “global community” for university presses last year.

Robinson recently participated on a panel at the 2022 Association of University Presses Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., to discuss "OER and Open Textbooks: Stories of Success and Challenges from the Frontlines." Those in attendance represented university presses primarily from across the country, with varying levels of experience in developing open educational resources (OER). Robinson has a decade of experience developing OER.

The UNG Press's partnership with Affordable Learning Georgia, eCore, and eCampus has saved students millions in textbook costs across the University System of Georgia and beyond. The UNG Press will publish six open textbooks in 2022, Robinson said. Open textbooks are released with an open-copyright license and made available online and in a variety of file types to be freely used by students, teachers, and members of the public.