PALSave Textbook Creation Grant program releases “Public Speaking and Democratic Participation”

INDIANAPOLIS and CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind.—The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) is pleased to announce the release of “Public Speaking and Democratic Participation: Speech, Deliberation, and Analysis in the Civic Realm, 2nd ed.,” by Jennifer Y. Abbott, Professor and Chair of Rhetoric at Wabash College; Todd F. McDorman, Professor of Rhetoric and Dean of the College at Wabash College; David M. Timmerman, Provost and Executive Vice President for Operations and Professor of Rhetoric at Carthage College; and  L. Jill Lamberton, Special Assistant to the President for Belonging and Community and Associate Professor of English at Wabash College.

This open textbook—made possible through a Textbook Creation Grant from the PALSave: PALNI Affordable Learning program—equips students to effectively participate in and transform their communities through speech. As a peer-reviewed, open educational resource (OER), it is entirely free to students and is ready for use in any classroom.

About the Book

Drawing on the ancient study of rhetoric, the textbook teaches students informative and persuasive speaking skills to develop their public voice. Unique to this textbook, content is also provided on the qualities of productive and unproductive civic discourse and the democratic practices of deliberative discussion facilitation and rhetorical analysis. Together, these abilities help students practice responsible public discourse, counter social injustice, and nurture a healthier and more inclusive society.

The second edition features updated examples and images, adopts a more succinct and conversational style, offers guidance for mediated forms of public speaking, and draws on rhetorical principles to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“I’m very excited about publishing a second edition of our public speaking textbook—we significantly revised its content and format, and the PALNI Open Press supported us every step of the process,” says Abbott. “PALNI was wonderful to work with, and I’m thrilled the book is freely available and easily accessible online. I hope all kinds of people find its guidance useful for public speaking as well as deliberation and rhetorical criticism.”

Collaborating with PALNI

Abbott applied for and received a PALSave Textbook Creation Grant for the project in 2023. Offered to faculty from PALNI-supported institutions, the grant allows educators to develop open textbooks that are freely available online, making them part of a nationwide effort to reduce the cost of course materials for college students. Each grant provides a maximum of $6,500 per project or $5,000 per author. Currently, there are 14 grant-funded titles published or in production through PALNI.

“The authors bring deep expertise and a clear commitment to open education through this project,” says Amanda Hurford, PALNI Scholarly Communications Director and PALSave program lead. “Their work reflects the mission of PALSave to expand access to high-quality, affordable learning materials. We’re grateful for their contribution to the growing body of open textbooks.”

Project Manager Jill Noyes, English Professor and former Library Director at Trine University, also supported the book’s creation.

“Public Speaking and Democratic Participation: Speech, Deliberation, and Analysis in the Civic Realm, 2nd edition,” by Jennifer Abbott, Todd McDorman, David Timmerman, and L. Jill Lamberton is available for free through the PALNI Open Press. 

Visit PALSave: PALNI Affordable Learning online to learn more about Textbook Creation Grants and other OER opportunities offered through PALNI.

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About the PALSave Textbook Creation Grant Program

PALNI's PALSave Textbook Creation Grant Program awards funding to faculty members from PALNI-supported institutions to create open textbooks.

Faculty are periodically invited to submit creation grant proposals for the courses they teach. Textbooks may cover any discipline at the undergraduate or postgraduate level. PALNI seeks proposals for textbooks geared toward specific fields of study that meet the inclusion criteria for the Open Textbook Library. Projects are selected for funding based on proposal quality, clearly defined goals, need within the current open access body of work, and adoption potential within PALNI schools and beyond.

PALNI coordinates peer review, copyediting, layout, and hosting services to assist grant recipients in their textbook creation. Each textbook is also supported by a local project manager to monitor progress and answer questions throughout development. The open textbooks are published on the PALNI Open Press-supported Pressbooks platform alongside other faculty-contributed works and are ultimately submitted to the Open Textbook Library and OER repositories. Visit the PALSave website to learn more: palni.org/palsave. 

About the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana

The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) is a non-profit organization that supports collaboration for library and information services for 24 colleges, universities, and seminaries throughout the state. From its inception in 1992, the PALNI collaboration has been a key avenue for its supported institutions to contain costs while providing more effective library services. More recently, PALNI has adopted a model of deep collaboration that pools resources and people as a tool to expand services while containing costs. Simultaneously, PALNI is expanding collaboration within its institutions and with external library partners to address challenges and build cost-effective services. Visit www.palni.org for more information. 

PALNI Supported Institutions

Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary | Anderson University | Bethel University | Butler University | Concordia Theological Seminary | Christian Theological Seminary | DePauw University | Earlham College | Franklin College | Goshen College | Grace College | Hanover College | Huntington University | Manchester University | Marian University | Oakland City University | University of Saint Francis | Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College | Saint Mary’s College | Saint Meinrad’s Seminary and School of Theology | Taylor University | Trine University | University of Indianapolis | Wabash College