Apply now! Open Knowledge Fellowship

The Mina Rees Library is excited to share three opportunities relating to Open Educational Resources, in Summer 2023. Read below for information about how to apply!

On Wednesday, July 12th, we’ll be hosting an in-person workshop from 1-3pm. This is a great chance to learn more about the basics – what do we mean by ‘open resources,’ or ‘openly-licensed’? – and gain some initial practice in locating different types of educational materials. Sign up here! Please note that there is a limit to how many registrants we can accommodate.


Secondly, we’re thrilled to offer students an opportunity to participate in the ninth cohort of our Open Knowledge Fellowship. The Fellowship started in 2019, and is supported by state funding administered through the Office of Library Services (OLS). The 6-session program includes a stipend of $2000, paid via Financial Aid in Fall 2023 (see details and eligibility requirements below).

Designed to convert your syllabus to OER, this opportunity is limited to those who will be teaching at CUNY in Fall 2023 or Spring 2024. See full details below. Apply to the Open Knowledge Fellowship by June 14, 2023 at 5pm EST!


Lastly, all doctoral and MA students are eligible to apply to create an Annotated Open Resource Guide. These are compilations of existing open resources, intended as a resource guide for educators seeking to teach a topic of your choice. We encourage interdisciplinary participation and creativity. There is a stipend of $1000 ($750 per individual, if a two-person team), paid via Financial Aid. Apply by June 14, 2023 at 5pm EST!


Open Knowledge Fellowship | 6 sessions 

Four In Person: Tuesdays from 1-3pm | August 1, 8, 15, 22nd

Two Via Zoom:  Thursdays from 1-3pm* | 8/17, 8/24

Eligibilty for Open Knowledge Fellowship:  GC doctoral or MA students who will be teaching at CUNY in Fall 2023 or Spring 2024. Participants must be fully enrolled in Fall 2023 to receive the $2000 stipend, paid via Financial Aid. Full enrollment for doctoral students is 7 credits or weighed instruction units (WIUs); for MA students, 9 credits.

What will happen during the Open Knowledge Fellowship?

The Fellowship provides interactive training by Graduate Center library faculty on how to find and implement openly licensed resources for the course you teach. Often referred to as Open Educational Resources (OER), these may include textbooks, lab manuals, ancillary materials, videos. We’ll talk about Open Access (OA) scholarship, and how to locate high-quality journal articles that are freely available online.

By the end of the Fellowship, you will have:

– Adapted the syllabus for your Fall 2023 or Spring 2024 course, so that it consists entirely of cost-free materials

– A critical and informed perspective about economic/political issues in scholarly publishing

–  A working knowledge of copyright and Creative Commons licenses

– A set of strategies for inviting students into the creation of open resources, centering their perspectives in the process

Curious to know more? Read our essay series by former Fellows.

About the Author

Elvis Bakaitis is currently the Head of Reference at the Mina Rees Library. They're also proud to serve on the University LGBTQ Council, and as a board member of CLAGS: The Center for LGBTQ Studies.