Custom texts trump pricey new editions

Suffering the high prices of second-edition textbooks could
become a thing of the past ““ that is, if professors start
buying into the many cheaper alternatives now available.

One of these alternatives is a new electronic database of books,
journals and newspaper articles, which professors can use to
compile their own personalized ““ and cheaper ““
textbook. This allows them to focus material to fit their
classes.

The main difference between course readers and these custom
textbooks is that the latter more closely resemble traditional
books in binding and quality. That could be a great asset to
students in majors rich in visuals, such as artwork or complex
graphics.

Not only are some professors finding these custom textbooks
preferable to traditional options, but they also have the support
of the publishing industry. This is in stark contrast to the
disagreements academia has had with publishers about textbook
prices in the past.

Costly textbooks have been an issue for at least two decades,
with their prices rising at about twice the inflation rate. But
discontent has soared in recent years with publishers
“bundling” multimedia ““ and little else ““
with new editions of textbooks.

These editions carried a price tag that was sometimes twice as
high as the previous edition, and students and professors began to
seek other options.

Since then, many cheap alternatives have surfaced, each with
their own virtues and faults. Web sites such as eBay and
Amazon.com, and smaller services such as Bookdude, allow students
to buy, sell, or trade used textbooks.

UCLA currently has a textbook-lending program through the
Financial Supports Commission. It is similar to rental services in
place at 20 colleges and universities in the U.S. This program also
allows students to buy textbooks after they’ve finished
renting them.

Both these options, however, can be made defunct by new
editions. Online alternatives such as Google Scholar and Google
Book Search are not affected by edition changes, but pending
copyright lawsuits may make them problematic. Furthermore, some
prefer tangible paper products to online readings.

Fed up faculty nationwide, including at UCLA, signed petitions
asking Thomas Learning, a major publisher, to stop printing useless
editions. CALPIRG and other state PIRGs have asked the same of
publishers, but little change came of it.

And with nearly 60 percent of students nationwide admitting they
have risked the quality of their education by not buying everything
on the class syllabus, it would be smart for educators to shift
tactics.

The custom textbook option isn’t without its downfalls:
The books can’t be resold, and they still don’t last as
long as their traditional counterparts.

Still, this alternative provides real competition against new
bundled editions. It also resolves some of the problems of other
alternatives ““ copyright owners still get a use fee, and
tactile learners still get to flip through real pages. The custom
textbook option adds to the growing options available to
professors.

With these alternatives becoming more readily available,
professors can take education and textbooks out of the hands of
publishers and back into the classroom by using materials beyond
the traditional textbook.

Not only will this offer students more affordable options in the
short run, but hopefully it will create pressure on the traditional
textbook market, which might push costs down in the long run.

And that’s good reading.