Remixing Existing Content

Remixing Existing Content

Do you want to create your own customized text by combining pages, sections, and chapters from existing OER or reorganizing an OER?

LibreTexts allows you to build a book by incorporating and rearranging openly-licensed content in the OER Remixer in multiple ways. Let's get started!

Remixing from Multiple Resources

If the content you wish to use already exists in LibreTexts, begin by identifying the libraries and locations of the resource (or resources) you wish to use. The content you want to use could be in various libraries and on a campus bookshelf, a bookshelf, in learning objects, under construction, or in a sandbox. If you are combining resources from various places, you will want to have identified where those resources are coming from in advance (i.e., you will want to have created a remix map). The steps that follow would be used to gather the resources you are going to use in your remix.

  1. Choose a library. In the Library Panel, you will see where that library's resources can be found. Most commonly, you will be selecting resources that are on the Bookshelves. In this example, we will select a resource from the Bookshelves.
  2. Click on the plus sign to the left of Bookshelves to see the list of disciplines contained in the library you selected.
  3. Click on the plus sign to the left of the discipline to access a sub-discipline or to see the available resources.
  4. Click on the plus sign to the left of the resource you want to use if you are using a chapter or a page within a book. In the example below, we began in the Humanities library, opened up Languages, then opened up Spanish.

Screen shot of Spanish texts within the Spanish collection in the Library Panel of the OER Remixer.

Moving Resources from the Library Panel to the Remix Panel

Before you begin, have your remix map ready. Remember that this map could be done in paper or in a spreadsheet and it is in essence a table of contents for your remix. This will help you find the book, chapter, or page that you will include on your customized remix.  

Once you have located the book, chapter, or page you want to include on your remix, drag it from the left Library Panel to the right Remix Panel by putting your cursor on it and clicking on it and pulling it to the Remix Panel and placing it appropriately.  The Remixer automatically renumbers content so you won’t be responsible for numbering each new section as you remix.  Once your resource(s) are in the Remixer Panel they can easily be moved by selecting and dragging them to where you want them to be. Because you can't select multiple items when moving resources to the Remixer Panel, you may want to move an entire book or chapter and then remove the elements that you do not want.

Example

In the example below, elements from two Spanish OER will be combined.

From OER 1 (¡Chévere!) Chapter 2 ¿Eres estudiante? was selected and moved to the Remixer Panel where it became Chapter 4.  

Remix 1

 

From OER 2 (Libro Libre), a single page (2.3 Ser) was selected and moved to the Remixer Panel where it was added to Chapter 4 and is now is 4.1 Ser.

Remixer 2

The OER Remixer Menu

The OER Remixer menu is limited.

  • You can add a new page or a new chapter.
  • You can edit titles.
  • You can delete a page or chapter.
  • You can undo an action.
  • You can redo an action.

Remix panel menu indicating + for adding a new page or chapter, pencil for edit, and a trashcan for delete page or chapter.

After moving the resources you want and removing all of the unwanted elements, name your project. Then, click on "Save to Server" in the upper right.

Remix panel with remix name and save to server button.

A "Publish Summary" will appear on the left side of the page. Make sure to click on "Save to Server" at the bottom left of the page. You will then see the progress of your remix as it is finalized. Your new text will be available at the bottom of the right side of the page ("Your new Text will be available here"). When your text is done, you will see "Remix Operations Complete!" in the green bar at the top of the right side of the page.

Screen shot of remixing in progress. Time Elapsed and Remaining is indicated. At the bottom page the the words "Your new Text will be available here" indicates where the complete text can be found.

When you click on "Your new Text will be available here", you will be able to see your text and should be able to confirm that it is in your Sandbox.

When you click on "Your new Text will be available here", you will be able to see your text and should be able to confirm that it is in your Sandbox. In the screen shot provided here, the top of the page shows that the book in question is The best OER Remix ever in the Sandbox associated with the account cmoon@chabotcollege.edu