This list of open access (OA) book resources is provided to guide you to platforms where you can find OA books. A description for each platform is provided to help you evaluate their quality and the quality of the OA books they include. We suggest you fully vet any site you use to either publish or consume information from. The presence of any article, book, document, or resource in these databases does not imply an endorsement of the Association of Vision Science Librarians (AVSL). Here are tools to assist you in your evaluation:
Description: Bookshelf provides free online access to the full-text of English-language, peer reviewed books and documents in healthcare and biomedical and life sciences at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), National Library of Medicine (NLM). Works added to the bookshelf must qualify on two levels, both the Scientific quality of the title, and the Technical quality of its digital files. To apply to Bookshelf, a title must have a clearly stated peer-review process and demonstrate features that contribute to the objectivity, credibility, and quality of its contents. Website contains a Quick Start Guide, FAQ’s, Tutorials, and Copyright/Permissions if you need additional help and information.
Navigating Tips: To find optometry or ophthalmology texts just enter your search term into the search box to browse available books. There is an advanced search option if you have more specific information that you are looking for. Entries can be filtered further by Publication date, when the resource was Added to Bookshelf, and Resource type (Report, Book, Collection, Documentation, Database), Previous versions or editions, and Search fields).
Description: DOAB is a community-driven discovery service that indexes and provides access to scholarly, peer-reviewed open access books in 104 different languages and helps users to find trusted open access book publishers. All DOAB services are free of charge and all data is freely available. DOAB requires publishers to apply to take part in DOAB. All books submitted must be academic in nature, available under an open access license (such as a Creative Commons license), and must have been subjected to independent and external peer review prior to publication.
Navigating Tips: Browse books by subjects: Ophthalmology, Optical Physics, Optometry / opticians.
Description: The National Academies Press (NAP) publishes the publications of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. NAP publishes more than 200 publications per year on a wide range of topics in science, engineering, and medicine, providing authoritative, independently researched information on important matters in science and health policy.
Navigating Tips: Using the search box is recommended and allows you to search for publications only by keyword. You can also browse the collections by either topic of division. Browsing may not be the most effective option since the topics are very broad and subtopics do not include optometry, ophthalmology and vision science.
Description: Cybersight is a not-for-profit telemedicine and e-learning platform founded by Orbis International. The Cybersight library is an international repository for eye health resources such as lectures, surgical videos, quizzes, textbooks, manuals, and simulation resources in nine different languages. Please note that the Cybersight library does not provide evidence of a review or vetting process for resources it includes in its library. While users should always evaluate the resources they find, they should know that these resources may not have been peer reviewed or vetted.
Navigating Tips: Use the filters to find resources of interest. You can also use the website’s search box which will return resources in the library as well as other webpages in the Cybersight website.