This document summarizes the high cost of college textbooks and the potential for open educational resources (OER) to help address this issue. It notes that textbook prices have risen much faster than inflation, creating barriers to student access and success. OER provide a free alternative through openly licensed content that can be retained, reused, revised, remixed and redistributed. The document outlines several OER initiatives and cites research finding significant cost savings for students and improved learning outcomes when OER replace traditional textbooks. It encourages greater involvement and support for OER adoption to make higher education more affordable and effective.