MERLOT Updated for Better Searchability

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 03/15/18

MERLOT, the repository of open educational resources developed by the California State University system, has entered its third decade of operation with a new facelift. The project, as always, provides a gateway to OER. But with its newest release, search functionality has been expanded and coding has been done using responsive web design to make it mobile device-friendly.

Dubbed MERLOT (to distinguish it from MERLOT II, the previous edition), the latest edition features a new, simplified home page, intended to provide an easy and familiar way for instructors and students to hunt down resources. Those OER materials may reside in the MERLOT repository, in one of a dozen digital libraries or on the web. Users can also type in ISBN numbers to find matches that way.

"Smart Search," as the new search functionality is called, now includes a "recommender" function that infers the user's search objectives to provide additional results. Also, context-sensitive help has been redesigned and extended.

MERLOT's tools already include the ability for registered members to create bookmark collections and course e-portfolios, and to add new open learning materials that can be shared. Registration is free.

"Over the years, faculty wanting to adopt high quality, cost-effective [OER] have had difficulty finding them," said Sorel Reisman, MERLOT managing director and Fulbright OER specialist, in a prepared statement. "MERLOT has historically provided a solution to this challenge. Our new release, extending our proprietary smart search with an intuitive user interface, now makes this challenge easier than ever."

The MERLOT site receives more than a million visits each year, providing visibility to 80,000 free, online digital resources for learning, including links to 5,700 open textbooks.

In the California State University system, the Affordable Learning Solutions Initiative uses the MERLOT cataloguing system as the open access textbook repository to help faculty within CSU, California community colleges and other university systems choose more affordable, quality, educational content for their students.

The updated system is available on the MERLOT site.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Two hands shaking in the center with subtle technology icons, graphs, binary code, and a padlock in the dark blue background

    Two Areas for K-12 Schools to Assess for When to Work with a Managed Services Provider

    The complexity of today’s IT network infrastructure and increased cybersecurity risk are quickly moving beyond many school districts’ ability to manage on their own. But a new technology model, a partnership with a managed services provider, offers a way forward for schools to overcome these challenges.

  • abstract pattern of cybersecurity, ai and cloud imagery

    Report Identifies Malicious Use of AI in Cloud-Based Cyber Threats

    A recent report from OpenAI identifies the misuse of artificial intelligence in cybercrime, social engineering, and influence operations, particularly those targeting or operating through cloud infrastructure. In "Disrupting Malicious Uses of AI: June 2025," the company outlines how threat actors are weaponizing large language models for malicious ends — and how OpenAI is pushing back.

  • stylized human profiles, tablets, and floating icons

    From Feedback to Flexibility: 5 AI Tools Teachers Should Try

    As a fifth-grade teacher and AI School Champion in the St. Vrain Valley School District, I've seen firsthand how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education. Here are five AI-enabled tools I've found especially powerful in my classroom and professional practice.

  • young woman using a smartphone, with digital AI and chat icons overlaid in a blurred academic setting

    Duolingo Goes AI-First in Push for Scalable Learning

    Learning platform Duolingo is embracing AI in an effort to make learning replicable, scalable, and always available.