Bookmarks

Swetta Abeyta; Nataly Blas; Theresa Huff; John Jackson; Jessea Young; Karna Younger

Bookmarks

Explore the OER California Bookmark Series and choose your favorites to customize for displays, outreach, events, and campus awareness campaigns. (Flip through the templates by selecting the arrows above, hover to view the name each template, or select the four arrows at top right to see the full screen. Scroll down to access the templates.)

Introduction

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” — Maya Angelou

A bookmark can be more than a placeholder. It can also introduce a resource, spark up a conversation, or give someone an easy path back to an open textbook. These OER bookmarks are designed to be useful and easy to share while also helping students, staff, and faculty connect with open education in a tangible way.

Below you will find the full bookmark set, ideas for how to use the bookmarks, real examples of bookmark-based textbook affordability outreach, and guidance for adapting the designs for your own campus.

Ideas for Use

For Students

Hand out bookmarks at campus hot spots. Use the bookmark as a quick way to share about OER benefits or recommend a professor’s OER and class.
Use it for accessing your OER. If the bookmark has your OER’s QR code or URL, place it inside a notebook, binder, or planner so the textbook is easy to revisit throughout the term.

For Staff

Share bookmarks at tabling events, OER workshops, and outreach activities. Use the bookmark as a low-pressure giveaway that is useful and informative.
Place them at service points such as library desks or department offices. Give people something easy to pick up, scan, and take with them.
Pair them with other outreach materials. Use bookmarks alongside postcards, stickers, or posters so that the campaign feels connected.

For Faculty

Include them when introducing the textbook. If the bookmark contains your OER’s QR code or URL, hand them out at the beginning of the course so students have both the title and a scannable link.
Use them to promote your OER. Share them at showcases, workshops, or conferences as a small but visible way to highlight the resource.

Inspirations

Here are a couple of real examples of bookmarks being used in textbook affordability and OER outreach.

Student Example: AMS UBC and the #TextbookBrokeBC campaign

Who did it: The Alma Mater Society at the University of British Columbia

What students did: Student leaders used a #TextbookBrokeBC bookmark as part of a broader textbook affordability campaign to raise awareness about high textbook costs and open alternatives. The bookmark is documented in the BC campus and Open Oregon student toolkits as one of the campaign materials shared openly for reuse.

Why it worked: The bookmark was both practical and visible. It gave students something easy to keep and use while reinforcing the message of textbook affordability and open education. It also became part of a wider awareness campaign that included posters and social media content.

How to adapt it with this bookmark set:

- Add a QR code to the bookmark that links directly to the OER or your campus OER page.
- Set out a table and label it clearly: “Take a Bookmark, Learn About OER.”
- Invite students to pick a design that fits their style or message as a simple giveaway that can continue the conversation after the event.

Staff Example: Cañada College

Who did it: Cañada College in Redwood City, California

What they did: As part of their Zero Textbook Cost and OER outreach efforts, Cañada College created flyers and bookmarks as promotional materials beginning in Fall 2023.

Why it worked: The bookmarks gave the college a small, practical item that could be handed out easily while also reinforcing awareness of ZTC and OER. Because bookmarks are useful, they can stay with students and continue promoting the message over time.

How to adapt it with this bookmark set:

- Set out bookmarks at library tables, workshops, or campus events.
- Pair them with a QR code that links directly to the OER or your campus OER page.
- Use them as practical giveaways that students, staff, and faculty can keep and reuse.
- Choose a design that matches your audience while keeping the message short and readable.

Other templates: The ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative also shares bookmark templates for marketing OER and ZTC, which may be helpful if you want to see another adaptation model.

Quick Tips for Using Bookmarks Well

Keep the message short. Bookmarks are small, so short phrases tend to work best.
Make the QR code easy to scan. If you are using QR codes, leave enough room around it and test it before printing.
Use the back strategically. The title, author, and URL can turn the bookmark into a practical access tool, not just a giveaway.
Design for close reading. Since bookmarks are viewed up close, clarity and contrast matter more than extra detail.
Pair them with conversation. A bookmark works especially well when someone also explains what OER is and why it matters.

Guidance and Templates

View the video or select the arrows to read the steps for customizing your bookmark.

Get the template

Bookmark Templates in Canva

screenshot of beige bookmark with text SoCal, NorCal, No Cost repeated 3x in colorful text — *Select the Canva template link and then select **View template**.*

Select a bookmark design from the Canva link below to open the editable template. The templates are free to use and adapt, but you’ll need to create and sign in to a free Canva account to customize and download your bookmarks. To begin using the template, select View template. Once you sign in to your account, you may then be prompted to Open in Editor.

Need more options for adapting your asset template?

Once you’ve created your free Canva account and signed in, you can open the Growing Your OER Starter Kit alongside any asset template to copy and paste colors, graphics, icons, photos, and design elements to help your version stay within the OER-California branding theme.

Customize your bookmark

Step 1. Open your template in Canva and decide how you want to use it.

Use the Canva links above to open your bookmark design. You’ll access the template in Canva first, then choose what you want to do next:

- - Customize it
  - Keep it as-is and just download it (skip to Step 2)

The front of the bookmark

If you are adapting the bookmark template in Canva, consider:

- - Adding your campus logo or program name
  - Adapting the language to fit your audience
  - Choosing a different tagline that fits your campaign

For OER Awareness, some potential taglines you might consider:

- Spread the Word. Share the Open.
- Open Books, Open Minds
- Open Book Club
- OER
  - Pronunciation: OH-ee-AHR
  - Open Educational Resources are materials for teaching, learning, and research that are in the public domain or released under open licenses.
  - They can be freely used, adapted, and redistributed without permission or payment.

bookmark with silhouette of tree in green on front and qr code and URL, listed authors, and invitation on back — *The D’Costa team from St. Mary’s College of California adapted a bookmark to help promote and give immediate access to their OER.*

The back of the bookmark

Particularly for Faculty OER Marketing and Promotion, consider adapting the Bookmark_Back template to include:

- A cover image of your OER textbook
- A QR code and URL to your OER textbook (make sure the QR code is large enough to scan easily without competing with the main message)
- The author(s) of your OER textbook
- An invitation: “Check out our OER textbook!”

This turns the bookmark into both a promotional piece and a practical access tool.

Need a QR code? You can create one with H5P KewAr Code if you want a free, open-source option, or with Canva’s QR Code tool if you are already editing the bookmark in Canva.

Step 2. Download your bookmark.

When you’re ready to print, download your bookmark from Canva. To download, select the Share button at the top, right of the screen [1] and then select Download [2].

From the File type drop-down menu, select either PDF Print if you are printing the bookmark or PNG if you want to use the bookmark as a digital image or in another design tool. [3].

From the Select pages drop-down menu [4], select the page or pages of the bookmarks you wish to download.

Then, select Download [5], and your file will be downloaded to your device.

Step 3. Print the bookmark.

Once you have downloaded your bookmark, choose whether you want to print it yourself or send it to a campus or commercial printer.

Option A. Print your bookmark on a personal printer.

If you want to print the bookmark yourself, use heavy paper or cardstock rather than standard copy paper. A sturdier paper will make the bookmark feel more durable and professional.

Good options include:

- Matte cardstock
- Satin cardstock
- Heavy presentation paper
- Cover stock that your printer can handle

Because bookmarks are small and usually printed front and back, it helps to test the layout before printing a full batch.

Before printing:

1. Print one test sheet first on the paper you plan to use.
2. Check that the bookmark size looks right and that the front and back line up the way you want.
3. If you plan to print double-sided, make sure you know how your printer handles duplex printing or how to reinsert the paper correctly.
4. If your printer does not align front and back perfectly, print a small test first and adjust as needed.

When you are ready to print:

1. Open the file and choose Print.
2. Set the paper size to match the paper you are using.
3. Choose Color printing.
4. Choose Best or High Quality print settings.
5. In the paper settings, choose the closest match to your paper.

After printing:

- Let the sheet dry fully before handling it, especially if you are using an inkjet printer.
- Cut the bookmarks carefully with scissors, a paper cutter, or a craft knife.
- Test one finished bookmark before printing more.

Option B. Send the bookmark to a campus or commercial printer.

If you want a larger batch or a more polished result, sending the bookmark to a campus print shop or commercial printer is usually the easiest option.

When you send the file, include these details:

- - Finished size: 2″ × 6″
  - Orientation: vertical
  - Print in full color
  - Print front and back
  - Paper preference: heavy paper or cardstock
  - Finish: matte or satin if you want a writable surface, or glossy if you want brighter color
  - Quantity: how many bookmarks you want
  - File type: PDF Print if available, or PNG if that is the file you downloaded

Before printing a full batch

Whether you print the bookmark yourself or use a printer, check that the:

- - Text is easy to read
  - Front and back are aligned correctly
  - QR code scans clearly
  - Colors look good
  - Bookmark feels sturdy enough for regular use

License

Icon for the CC0 (Creative Commons Zero) license

To the extent possible under law, Swetta Abeyta; Nataly Blas; Theresa Huff; John Jackson; Jessea Young; and Karna Younger have waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to Growing Your OER Program, except where otherwise noted.