E-books provide cheaper alternative

The dread students feel as they hand their credit cards to the cashier to purchase textbooks may be slowly beginning to subside. As technology continues to advance, the popularity of electronic textbooks has risen and publishers have begun to create options for students to access textbooks online or through a PDF. While affordability is a major issue among students, many groups, legislators, and faculty are looking for alternatives to the ever-rising textbook prices.

Much of the steady rise in textbook prices can be attributed to the frequent publishing of new editions. Often, relatively few changes are made in these new editions, yet they cost much more.

The inclusion of new technology has also caused the prices of textbooks to increase, as many newer textbooks are now equipped with additional materials, such as CD-ROMs. As these supplementary materials are bundled with the textbook, students are required to purchase them both. However, as the paper industry slowly evolves into a more modern and electronic business, professors and students are looking to higher technology to relieve the burden of textbook prices.

At Boston College, many professors have been embracing the idea of electronic textbooks. John Gallaugher, a professor in the Carroll School of Management, does not require a textbook for his students and instead posts material on his Web site. Gallaugher required textbooks only in his first semester as a professor before moving on to online material. "The students appreciated the online material and there was an overwhelming response," Gallaugher said.

Gallaugher said that he is more concerned about quality than price, as he has found it easier to motivate his students to read things that are directly pertinent to the course and his lectures. Gallaugher is currently in the process of writing his own textbook and plans to have it finished by spring of 2009, making it available online to students. "I understand a lot of the pain the students are under [as they purchase expensive textbooks]," Gallaugher said.

While the use of electronic textbooks may be a promising alternative, some students have hesitated to fully convert to online material.

The BC Bookstore recently participated in a limited pilot program designed to feature and test the popularity of electronic textbooks, or e-books. The program, which was through a distributor that released many e-books, placed approximately 12 titles for sale on the shelves next to the new and used versions of the books. While the prices of the e-books were approximately $20 cheaper than their traditional counterparts, Tom McKenna, director of the BC Bookstore, said the difference was not significant enough to entice customers.

"If [the publishers] wanted to compete with the used books, they need to introduce the technology at a more aggressively low price," McKenna said.

McKenna said he felt that their customers were reluctant to try the new products, as students were already comfortable with traditional required course material. The cost differential was not great enough to motivate people to give up the physical textbook. At other universities and organizations, as well, people are continuing to work to alleviate high textbook prices and search for alternatives for students.

In a recent campaign by The Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) to reduce college textbook costs, over 1,000 faculty members of higher education institutions across the nation signed a petition for open, Web-based textbooks. These high-quality, open-access textbooks can be used for no cost online and can be printed for a low cost.

Legislatures are also seeking to ease the price of educational materials. The Massachusetts Student Public Interest Research Group (MASSPIRG) recently worked with State Representative Stephen Walsh to draft a bill that would require publishing companies to disclose the price of their books when they're offering them to faculty. The bill would also ban the bundling of materials and require that supplementary materials be sold separately from the textbook.

While possible solutions to the rising prices of textbooks have become available through legislation and the introduction of e-books, students have been reluctant to forfeit their physical textbooks. Until e-books become more prevalent in the classrooms, though, the problem of the affordability of textbooks will remain. "[The prices of textbooks] is a real concern and we certainly know that," McKenna said.