Freedom251 › Teacher Resource Libraries
OER Commons
What OER Commons is
OER Commons is a free web library where educators can find, create, and share open educational resources. Its collection serves K–12 and higher education educators, librarians, and homeschooling parents, with materials spanning digital and print formats and a range of grade levels and subjects. A free account provides access to the library, Open Author for creating or publishing resources, groups, collaboration tools for curating or remixing content, and a personal profile for saved items. Organizations can use Hubs to build collections, manage content, and host conversations; custom microsites can have their own libraries and domains, tailored metadata and content creation, and analytics dashboards. Open Author includes an accessibility checker, requires alt text for embedded images, and captions videos uploaded to a resource. ISKME offers data and API integration services for learning management systems, and its tools support Dublin Core, IEEE Learning Object Metadata, and RSS formats. Resources made in the legacy Open Author 1 editor are scheduled for removal on December 31, 2026; Open Author 2 resources are unaffected.
Who it suits
It suits educators, librarians, and homeschooling parents looking for open resources, and organizations that want to curate collections or run a tailored library. It is available on the web.
What it does well
- Free account includes library access and Open Author.
- Hubs support organizational collections and conversations.
- Microsites can have separate domains and analytics dashboards.
- Open Author includes accessibility checks and video captions.
- LMS integration services are available.
What to know first
- Legacy Open Author 1 resources are scheduled for removal December 31, 2026.
- Authors and users remain responsible for resource accessibility.
- Many indexed resources are hosted by external providers.
Limits
The free account provides access to the library, Open Author, groups, collaboration, and a personal profile. Resources made with legacy Open Author 1 are scheduled for removal on December 31, 2026; Open Author 2 resources are not affected.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| OER Commons free account | Access the digital library · Open Author · Create groups · Collaborate to curate or remix content · Save resources to a personal profile | Free |
As oercommons.org lists them, read 30 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Visit the OER Commons website.
- Create a free account to access the digital library, Open Author, groups, collaboration, and a personal profile.
- Use Open Author to create or publish an open educational resource.
- Organizations can contact [email protected] about product and service offerings.
Verdict
OER Commons combines resource discovery with tools for creating and organizing materials. Check whether resources were made in the legacy editor and review accessibility when selecting materials.
Questions
Does OER Commons cost anything?
The OER Commons free account costs nothing.
What does a free account include?
It includes access to the digital library, Open Author, groups, collaboration to curate or remix content, and a personal profile for saved resources.
Who created OER Commons?
OER Commons was created by ISKME, which describes itself as a global nonprofit.
Can OER Commons connect with learning management systems?
ISKME offers data integration and API integration services to connect OER Commons with learning management systems.
What happens to resources created in the legacy Open Author 1 editor?
OER Commons says it will remove those resources on December 31, 2026. Open Author 2 resources are not affected.
What platforms does OER Commons support?
The listed platform is web.
Facts from OER Commons's own pages
- Accessibility
- Open Author includes an accessibility checker, requires alt text for embedded images, and automatically captions videos uploaded to an Open Author resource. · iskme.org, 30 Sept 2026
- Accessibility responsibility
- ISKME states that authors and users are responsible for ensuring resources meet accessibility requirements, and that many indexed resources are hosted by external providers. · iskme.org, 30 Sept 2026
- Accessibility review
- ISKME says it has completed two full platform accessibility audits meeting WCAG 2.1 AA standards and is conducting another review. · iskme.org, 30 Sept 2026
- Audience
- The library serves K–12 and higher education educators, librarians, and homeschooling parents. · iskme.org, 30 Sept 2026
- Founded
- 2007 · oercommons.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Hubs
- Hubs let organizations develop collections, manage content, facilitate conversations, and share information about their work. · iskme.org, 30 Sept 2026
- Legacy content limit
- OER Commons says it will remove resources created in the legacy Open Author 1 editor on December 31, 2026; Open Author 2 resources are not affected. · help.oercommons.org, 30 Sept 2026
- LMS integration
- ISKME offers data integration and API integration services to connect OER Commons with learning management systems. · iskme.org, 30 Sept 2026
- Maker
- OER Commons was created by ISKME, which describes itself as a global nonprofit. · iskme.org, 30 Sept 2026
- Metadata formats
- ISKME says its tools can receive OER feeds in Dublin Core, IEEE Learning Object Metadata, and RSS, and provide targets for harvesting content in those formats. · iskme.org, 30 Sept 2026
- Microsites
- Custom microsites can have independent libraries and domains, tailored metadata and content creation, and analytics dashboards. · iskme.org, 30 Sept 2026
- Open Author
- A free account enables users to create or publish open educational resources using tools such as Open Author. · iskme.org, 30 Sept 2026
- Purpose
- OER Commons is an openly accessible digital library for educators to find high-quality open educational resources and collaborate around their use, evaluation, and improvement. · iskme.org, 30 Sept 2026
- Support
- ISKME provides content curation by digital librarians and directs organizations to contact [email protected] about product and service offerings. · iskme.org, 30 Sept 2026
Where OER Commons stands on Freedom251
- Teacher Resource Libraries#12 of 30
- Open Educational Resource Platforms#13 of 27