For more than a year, Dr. Charles Travis transformed decades of teaching, research and scholarly expertise into a resource designed to help students succeed both inside and outside the classroom. 

The result is "The Historical Geography of North America," a new open educational resource textbook developed through a partnership between UTA Libraries and the Department of History and Geography. Supported by a UTA Libraries OER CARES Grant and published by Mavs Open Press, the textbook provides students and educators with free access to a rigorous academic resource that would otherwise cost significantly. 

As an associate professor in the Department of History and Geography, the project offered Dr. Travis the opportunity to create a textbook that reflected how he teaches and how students learn. 

"This was a perfect opportunity for me to consolidate my ideas on the historical geography of North America from a different perspective," Travis said. "I translated my lectures into chapters and created something that fit hand in glove with the course structure." 

The upper-level textbook examines North America through a broad historical and geographic lens, exploring the continent's physical regions and the migration patterns that have shaped modern society. Rather than beginning with the colonial era, the text traces the story of North America from prehistoric settlements and Indigenous civilizations through the rise of colonial powers and the continent's emergence as a global economic and political force. 

The work covers the United States, Canada and Mexico while integrating both physical and human geography, an approach Travis believes provides students with a more complete understanding of the continent's development. 

"Many textbooks focus on either physical geography or historical geography," Travis said. "This book combines both and examines how people interacted with different environments across North America over time. It provides a more holistic picture." 

While the book offers a fresh perspective on historical geography, its impact extends beyond the classroom. As an open educational resource, "The Historical Geography of North America" can be downloaded and used at no cost by students and educators around the world. 

For students, having free access to required course materials can make a meaningful difference. Instead of worrying about the cost of a textbook or delaying a purchase, students can begin engaging with course content on day one. 

That is one reason UTA Libraries invests in programs such as the OER CARES Grant. By partnering with faculty members to create and adopt open educational resources, the Libraries help expand access to learning materials and support student success in and beyond the classroom. 

The partnership benefits students while also providing faculty members with opportunities to share their expertise in innovative ways. 

Unlike traditional textbooks produced through commercial publishers, open educational resources give faculty authors greater flexibility to tailor content to their courses, incorporate emerging research and update materials as disciplines evolve. 

Travis found that flexibility was particularly valuable throughout the writing process. 

"These books are organic entities," he said. "You can modify them as you go and continue improving them." 

The project was piloted in Travis' Historical Geography of North America course during the Spring 2026 semester. Student feedback played an important role in refining the final publication and validating the approach. 

Students described the textbook as accessible, cohesive and closely aligned with the course content. For Travis, those responses confirmed that the book was accomplishing exactly what he had hoped. 

"I knew I was on the right track when I got the feedback," he said. 

Travis said the support he received throughout the project made the process both productive and rewarding. 

"I enjoyed working with UTA Libraries," he said. "I enjoyed working with Daria Mendez and the Pressbooks platform. Overall, it was a positive experience. I would do it again." 

The textbook is the culmination of an idea Travis had been developing for years. Having published numerous academic works throughout his career, he found this project especially meaningful because it allowed him to write directly for his students while drawing upon decades of teaching experience. 

"I was thinking out loud with my students while I was writing it," he said. "That whole process was very rewarding and enlightening." 

The book was completed in approximately one year and was supported through a UTA Libraries OER CARES Grant, a program designed to encourage the creation of open educational resources that improve affordability and access for students. 

He believes other faculty members can benefit from pursuing similar opportunities. 

"If you're teaching a course that you're familiar with and passionate about, writing your own textbook can really enhance that course," he said. "It allows you to bring multiple perspectives together and create something that truly supports student learning." 

For Travis, one of the greatest benefits of developing an open textbook is the opportunity to create a resource tailored specifically to student needs while removing the financial barriers often associated with traditional course materials. 

"The goal was to create something rigorous, accessible and useful, while also offering a broader perspective on the subject," Travis said. 

As "The Historical Geography of North America" becomes available to students, educators and readers around the world, it serves as an example of what can happen when faculty expertise and library support come together with a shared commitment to educational access. 

Projects like Dr. Travis' textbook demonstrate the impact of collaboration between faculty and UTA Libraries. By combining faculty expertise with library support, these partnerships create resources that help students save money, access course materials from the first day of class and learn from content developed specifically for the courses they take.