Objective
Canadian Roundtable on Academic Materials (CRAM) is a forum to initiate a national discussion on academic materials between all stakeholders within our institutions with the purpose to understand and develop a holistic and comprehensive institutional approach for the long-term sustainability of academic materials.
Recent CRAM events
In November 2019, CRAM Vancouver was held at Simon Fraser University in downtown Vancouver. The session was attended by faculty, students, librarians, bookstores, copyright officers, ancillary services, teaching & learning, course developers and publishers from all over BC. Presentations from campus stakeholders, students and faculty provided key insights for the lively discussions and takeaways.
Due to COVID-19, in-person CRAM events are on hiatus.
Watch here for updates on upcoming events.
History
Founded in 2007 at the University of Alberta as a partnership between the Bookstore and Student’s Union, the Canadian Roundtable on Academic Materials was created as a collaborative effort to primarily address the high cost of course materials and was built on 9 key principles with the goal “to ensure the existence of an ongoing medium through which the key parties can identify and implement ways of addressing the underlying issues”.
In 2017, CRAM was revived and Campus Stores Canada brought together institutional stakeholders in a forum to identify current issues, trends and opportunities to position as a collective voice for the institutions we serve. CRAM 2017 resulted in elements of a 2025 vision being developed. Click here to read the CRAM 2017 Report.
Building on the success of CRAM 2017 and with a clear vision for 2025 developed, CRAM 2018 was held in Ottawa to have a more focused discussion on two of the CRAM Principles. CRAM 2018 focused on Principle 7 & 8. Click here to read the CRAM 2018 Report.
CRAM Principles
1.
Academic materials must be a high quality and offer reasonable value to students.
2.
Academic Community Members are the ultimate decision makers for selecting academic materials.
4.
Publishers and other supply chain providers should, where feasible, utilize the most cost-effective technologies for delivering academic materials.
3.
Academic Community Members should consider the cost for students when selecting course materials, and should explore and utilize the most cost-effective forms of delivery.
5.
Strive for a clear balance in copyright legislation between owner and user rights that promotes the sharing of ideas.
6.
Encourage academic community members to fully and clearly understand the legal implications of copyright-related agreements, so that Fair Dealing can be fully exercised at the campus level.
7.
The academic materials delivery processes at each participating school should incorporate joint Bookstore, Student, Academic Community Members and Library committees that foster communication, promote enhanced relationships, and facilitate the sharing of ideas and concerns.
8.
Establish monitoring and feedback mechanisms in order to measure and enhance the quality, affordability, and accessibility of academic materials.
9.
Advance the cost-effectiveness and affordability of academic materials through the development of:
a. Advocacy strategies and tools that can be utilized at the campus level to promote enhanced awareness of the problems and the solutions.
b. Advocacy strategies and plans at the national level that focus on presenting a concerted and unified position in relation to matters concerning academic materials.
c. Communication with other national entities in the sphere of post-secondary education, including but not limited to: the Association of Universities & Colleges of Canada (AUCC), the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) and Campus Stores Canada (CSC).