We’re in academia. [...] we need to go through curation efforts. We need to constantly update. We need to constantly curate because there everything needs to be updated and what one person thinks is the right level for the quality of a book, it could be very different from a different person who has the same book. It’s a constant active thing. And because we are subject matter experts, not in every subject matter of course, but we have lots of people on our team in order to do that, we’re constantly updating and curating our content.
And that right there distinguishes us from other platforms that essentially that’s not their game. Their game is, here it is, you use it, give us the money, and we’re done. And actually the hard part is the curation effort.
Delmar Larsen
Founder
Delmar Larsen, Ph.D.
Chemistry Professor, Founder
Delmar Larsen is a professor of chemistry at the University of California, Davis and with a career that bridges scientific research and educational innovation. Delmar earned his B.S. in chemistry from the University of Washington and Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Chicago with research performed at the University of California, Berkeley. Delmar completed his postdoctoral research at the University of Southern California and the Free University Amsterdam. Delmar has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications, primarily in the fields of biophysical chemistry and ultrafast spectroscopy.
With a strong commitment to expanding access to high-quality, affordable education, Delmar is also the founder and executive director of the LibreTexts project, one of the world’s largest and most visited open educational resource (OER) platforms (https://libretexts.org). In 2008, he founded LibreTexts (originally ChemWiki) to address the high cost of textbooks and to provide accessible, high-quality educational resources. LibreTexts has expanded to include over a dozen subject-specific libraries, covering disciplines such as biology, physics, engineering, mathematics, social sciences, and humanities. The LibreTexts platform supports adaptive learning, interactive assessments, and integration with learning management systems, enabling educators to customize content for their courses. LibreTexts has been adopted by hundreds of institutions and integrated into curriculum by thousands of educators, saving students an many millions of dollars in textbook costs. LibreTexts has received significant funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and the California Education Learning Laboratory.
Larsen is a vocal advocate for open education, textbook affordability, and student-centered learning technologies. His work with LibreTexts continues to shape the future of education by promoting equity, innovation, and accessibility in higher learning.
Quote from an interview with OE Voices Podcast.