Certificate in Open Education Librarianship Instructor Profile: Jeanne Hoover

The Certificate in Open Education Librarianship is a professional development opportunity through the Open Education Network. It offers librarians formal training, a community of peers, and expert mentors to instruct and inspire. During the program, participants create action plans for sustainable, collaborative, and effective open education programs. 

Since 2019, more than 350 librarians have earned the certificate. Congratulations to the participants who completed the program this year!

Jeanne Hoover is one of eight instructors who guided participants across the finish line this fall. “She just always gets things done,” observes Tanya Grosz, OEN Director of Educational Programs. “She pitches in, helps before being asked, and quietly goes about delivering excellence with no fanfare.” 

Join us for a brief chat with Jeanne, Head of Scholarly Communication at East Carolina University and former SPARC Open Education Leadership Fellow, to learn how she quietly delivers excellence in open education.

I learned about the program through the OEN listserv where I saw a call for new instructors. The OEN has been such an important community for me in my open ed journey. I wanted to help build that space for others, and joining the certificate program as an instructor was one way to do that.

Jeanne Hoover, Instructor
Certificate in Open Education Librarianship

I was excited to collaborate with the instructors already involved in the program. They were all open education leaders that I admired, and I was excited to join the team! 

I joined the certificate program in its second year. One of the things I enjoy the most is seeing my cohort members expand their open education knowledge through the curriculum and our cohort discussions. I love to see them grow as leaders and develop a plan that fits the context of their institution. Seeing their success is what keeps me motivated!  

I had a great cohort this year! We had a unique group with a variety of perspectives and experiences. We had a range of institutions represented, including international members, which led to some great discussions. There was a mix of OER experiences which created opportunities for us to learn from each other. We also had a couple members collaborating on a shared action plan for their institution. All of this enriched our conversations and generated ideas for action plans. A lot of us experience similar issues, and we can collaboratively brainstorm solutions.

Over the past couple of years, some common challenges have been administrative turnover, little to no funding, and inclusive access programs. We’ve had discussions on how to support OER with these challenges both within cohorts and within the broader certificate group. 

I learn new things every year! We all have different experiences, and I think we all learn from each other. It’s also exciting to see how everyone’s action plans come together. I can’t help but be inspired!

The action plan is something that I feel is unique to this program. You come away with a detailed and actionable plan to move OER forward on your campus. It is customizable to your work and to your institution. However, each member of your cohort is also working on an action plan so you are not doing it alone. The conversations we have as a cohort are so valuable, as we support each other not only in completing the program but in navigating the specific challenges of our campuses. 

The curriculum is impactful and builds your knowledge in open education and provides ways to support OER initiatives within libraries and institutions. All of the assignments build towards the action plan, so you have a solid start by the time we begin to focus on them in the summer.

The optional summer synchronous sessions are very valuable as well. Instructors and guest speakers lead these sessions and they are on topics like collaborating with the bookstore, OER accessibility, and copyright. Over the past few years, we have been lucky to have the Library Copyright Institute (LCI) as part of the summer sessions. The LCI has been an invaluable addition to the program!

At ECU, we have a mini-grant program that has been running since about 2016. We recently updated the program using the action plan that my colleague, Allison Kaefring, completed as part of the OEN’s Certificate in Open Education Librarianship. We now offer three tiers of support for faculty interested in the program. In our first tier, faculty can adopt OER or library materials. The second tier provides additional funding for adapting OER or other open materials. Our last tier adds additional funding for creating an open textbook. The redesign has been working well for our faculty cohorts.

I definitely recommend applying to the program! You will come away from the program with an actionable plan that you can start implementing right away. You will learn from the curriculum, instructors, and cohort members in ways that will be applicable to your work. You will make connections with others who you can share successes and challenges with down the road. It is especially helpful if you are the only librarian assigned to open education on your campus. That can be a challenging and lonely position, so having a network of peers to reach out to is critical.

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Thank you, Jeanne! 

The OEN is accepting applications for the 2026 Certificate cohort through Friday, October 31, 2025. Some financial assistance and scholarships are available. Learn more on the OEN Certificate in Open Education Librarianship web page.