2026 Agenda
March 25: Let’s Get Situated
Karen Lauritsen, Senior Director, Publishing, Open Education Network.
April 1: Audience, Scope & Structure
Dr. Jane K. Forbes, Adjunct Faculty, American Public University System. Hosted by Micah Gjeltema, Open Education & Affordable Content Librarian, University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
April 8: Accessibility
Tiffani Tijerina, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Writing, University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Hosted by Cindy Gruwell, Associate Librarian/Coordinator of Scholarly Communication, University of West Florida.
April 15: Copyright, Creative Commons & Fair Use
Christine Rickabaugh, Open Education Librarian, University of Arkansas. Hosted by Jessica McClean, University of Texas at Arlington.
April 22: Project Management
Dr. Michael Polgar, Penn State Hazelton, Professor of Sociology, Social Sciences and Education; Dr. Bryan McGeary, Penn State University Park, Sally W. Kalin Librarian for Learning Innovations & Learning Design and Open Education Engagement Librarian; Julie Meyer, Penn State University Park, Teaching and Learning with Technology Department, Instructional Designer; Wade Shumaker, Penn State University Park, Teaching and Learning with Technology Department, Instructional Production Specialist. Hosted by Carmen Cole, Penn State University Park, Information Sciences and Business Librarian.
April 29: Working in Teams
Linda Miles, Open Educational Resources Librarian, Michigan State University and Rajiv Ranjan Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures, Michigan State University. Hosted by Christine Rickabaugh, Open Education Librarian, University of Arkansas.
May 6: Pedagogical & AI Considerations
Liza Long, Academic Technology Program Manager for the Idaho State Board of Education. Hosted by Amanda Larson, AERI Program Coordinator, The Ohio State University.
May 13: Published! Now What?
Cheryl Casey, Open Education Librarian, University of Arizona, and Meggie Mapes, Introductory Course Director, Associate Specialist, University of Kansas. Hosted by Melissa Chim, Scholarly Communications Librarian, Excelsior University.
Are you an educator looking for a meaningful way to reconnect with your students and your area of expertise? Do you want to address affordability issues while learning something new? Are you feeling overwhelmed by changes in higher education, including the impact of generative AI?
Join us at Pub101 for Authors!
Pub101 for Authors is a free, online orientation to open textbook publishing that complements our openly available curriculum. You'll hear from colleagues who have bucked the commercial system to create an educational resource that has more context and meaning than a typical textbook, and is totally free for your students. Colleagues will share what they’ve learned so that you can get started writing your open textbook. This synchronous experience is open to the extended Open Education Network community. If you believe that reading and learning are opportunities for connection, we hope you'll join us.
Participant Outcomes
- Identify key elements of an open textbook.
- Reflect on your capacity to write an open textbook.
- Identify support that may be available at your institution.
- Apply project management methods and strategies for getting the work done.
- Consider the human elements of writing, publishing, and reading a book.
- Identify vetted resources that can support your open textbook project.
Featured Presenters
Each session is co-led by a member of the Open Education Network’s Pub101 Committee and featured guest presenter(s). Presenters are carefully selected based on their leadership in the field and their demonstrated commitment to sharing their knowledge to benefit our growing open education community. Learn more about our 2026 presenters in the Presenter Bios section below.
What to Expect
You will begin each one-hour session with a brief reflection. Then, guest presenters will share their recommendations for about 40 minutes in a slide presentation. We will leave the last 15 minutes for your questions.
Register by March 18
Register today to participate in Pub101 for Authors. Meetings will be recorded and posted to our 2026 Pub101 YouTube playlist. Transcripts and slides will be posted to our blog.
Logistics
Schedule
Wednesdays, March 25 - May 15, 2026 1-2 pm Central Time
Wednesdays, March 25 - May 15, 2026 1-2 pm Central Time
How much time should I set aside?
It’s up to you. Pub101 for Authors is designed to be flexible. There’s no grade or certificate. You don’t turn anything in. We simply get together to talk things through and offer useful resources. That said, you may want to set aside about an hour a week, in addition to our one-hour meetings. That gives you the chance to review the related curriculum or complete an activity.
What if I miss a session?
Pub101 Goals
- Offer an introduction to writing and publishing an open textbook.
- Share practical resources and recommendations while building community.
- Provide a broad publishing foundation that is platform- and tool-agnostic.
- Emphasize institutional context, connection, and self-care.
Presenter Bios
2026 Agenda
March 25: Let’s Get Situated
Karen Lauritsen, Senior Director, Publishing, Open Education Network.
April 1: Audience, Scope & Structure
Dr. Jane K. Forbes, Adjunct Faculty, American Public University System. Hosted by Micah Gjeltema, Open Education & Affordable Content Librarian, University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
April 8: Accessibility
Tiffani Tijerina, Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Writing, University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Hosted by Cindy Gruwell, Associate Librarian/Coordinator of Scholarly Communication, University of West Florida.
April 15: Copyright, Creative Commons & Fair Use
Christine Rickabaugh, Open Education Librarian, University of Arkansas. Hosted by Jessica McClean, University of Texas at Arlington.
April 22: Project Management
Dr. Michael Polgar, Penn State Hazelton, Professor of Sociology, Social Sciences and Education; Dr. Bryan McGeary, Penn State University Park, Sally W. Kalin Librarian for Learning Innovations & Learning Design and Open Education Engagement Librarian; Julie Meyer, Penn State University Park, Teaching and Learning with Technology Department, Instructional Designer; Wade Shumaker, Penn State University Park, Teaching and Learning with Technology Department, Instructional Production Specialist. Hosted by Carmen Cole, Penn State University Park, Information Sciences and Business Librarian.
April 29: Working in Teams
Linda Miles, Open Educational Resources Librarian, Michigan State University and Rajiv Ranjan Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures, Michigan State University. Hosted by Christine Rickabaugh, Open Education Librarian, University of Arkansas.
May 6: Pedagogical & AI Considerations
Liza Long, Academic Technology Program Manager for the Idaho State Board of Education. Hosted by Amanda Larson, AERI Program Coordinator, The Ohio State University.
May 13: Published! Now What?
Cheryl Casey, Open Education Librarian, University of Arizona, and Meggie Mapes, Introductory Course Director, Associate Specialist, University of Kansas. Hosted by Melissa Chim, Scholarly Communications Librarian, Excelsior University.