Opening Up Mathematics

By Jan E. Grabowski, Lancaster University

Mathematics is a subject with many long-standing traditions. Partly, this stems from the way mathematicians work: once we have a correct proof of a statement, it stays correct in perpetuity. This tendency applies to how we do things, as much as to what we do. So it will be a bit of a surprise to some colleagues to see an Open Access undergraduate mathematics textbook, available in both print and digital formats, using cutting-edge tools to produce accessible formats and integrating the use of open-source mathematical software.

Perhaps having all of these in one package is unusual, but each individually reflects changes in both how academics write and teach, and also the publishing landscape.  Immense computing power is now available to everyone via simple web-based interfaces, as opposed to needing expensive infrastructure and advanced programming skills, so computer-assisted mathematics is turning rapidly from a somewhat niche pastime to something that all our students will engage with.  There is still a place for specialist software with verified code and verifiable outputs, alongside the latest developments in AI.

We also now recognize how individuals and communities have been shut out from accessing the subject we love and want to share, when the technology we use to publish is inaccessible. No one format suits all readers, so it is important to offer a variety that people can combine with their assistive technologies if they need. It is incumbent on us as authors to try to reduce or remove as many barriers as we can.  This includes recognizing that not everyone has a university library on their doorstep – but the internet can bring these places closer.

Then there is the matter of cost. Especially now, seeing the pressures on students’ finances and as we work hard to try to help those who find it difficult to access higher education, we cannot be giving with one hand and taking with the other. By publishing Open Access, we can help level the playing field, not just in our own classrooms but – it is no exaggeration to say – across the world.

All of these are things mathematicians can get on board with, and working with like-minded libraries, universities and publishers, we can begin to change how things have always been done into how we think they should be done, one book at a time.

'Representation Theory: A Categorical Approach' by Jan E. Grabowski is an Open Access title available to read and download for free or to purchase in all available print and ebook formats at the link below.