This document discusses the high cost of textbooks and the open educational resources (OER) initiative in Rhode Island. It notes that textbook costs have risen much faster than tuition and inflation, putting textbooks out of reach for many students. OER provide free and openly licensed alternatives to traditional textbooks. They allow users to retain, reuse, revise, remix and redistribute content. The document outlines several OER repositories and examples of OER impact, such as improved student outcomes and completion rates. It encourages adopting, adapting and creating OER to reduce costs and improve access to education.