Abbey Elder appointed Statewide Open Education Coordinator

Abbey Elder has been appointed Statewide Open Education Coordinator for the Iowa Open Education Action Team (Iowa OER) on behalf of the Board of Regents. This role is in addition to her current work managing open education and Open Access services at Iowa State University. Elder will coordinate, assess, and collaborate with peers in the management of the Iowa Open Education Action Team. 

"Abbey has provided leadership to the Iowa OER Action Team for several years,” said Rachel Boon, chief academic officer, Board of Regents. “The benefits to students across the state are clear, and by supporting Abbey in this work, the Board of Regents hopes to continue supporting faculty and students in creating high-quality, low-cost educational opportunities at ISU and wherever they go to college in Iowa."

Elder joined the University Library in July of 2017 as the Open Access and scholarly communication librarian and at the time served as the subject liaison for the anthropology and sociology departments. She came to Iowa State from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, after completing her Master of Science in Information Science degree, and she brought with her a concentrated interest in Open Access, open educational resources (OER), and scholarly communication. Along the way, Elder has worked closely with the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching and the Senior Vice President and Provost Office.

In July 2022, Elder shifted to the Collections and Technical Services Division and a new role focused on OER and Open Access and has continued to lead campus and statewide initiatives. Most recently, she’s lead efforts to support calls for proposals for OER projects, part of President Wendy Wintersteen’s priority investments to enhance the affordability of course materials under the ISU strategic plan.

Iowa OER is a consortium with representatives from public and private colleges across the state that supports the affordability of higher education for students in Iowa with OER. Elder was appointed to the statewide coordinator role this month for a term that runs through July 2024. 

Contacts:

M. Monica Gillen, communications specialist, 373 Parks Library, 515-294-1442

Abbey Elder, Open Access and scholarly communication librarian, 204 Parks Library, 515-294-5753